By: Jengibre Magazine
(Read news in El Mostrador)
Chile was awarded as the World's Best Green Destination at the thirtieth edition of the World Travel Awards, internationally known as the Oscars of Tourism. The award is the second in a row and the fourth in the history of the recognition, as it had already gone to our country in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
The Best Green Destination recognizes the existence and promotion of nature destinations and the planning, development and promotion of responsible and environmentally sustainable tourism experiences. Chile, on this occasion, beat Colombia, Ecuador, Madagascar, Norway and Peru in the category.
With the rise of experiential tourism, coupled with the increased awareness of the damage caused to the planet by human intervention and unsustainable practices, this award highlights the value of initiatives to discover, enjoy and appreciate the ecological, aesthetic and ethical aspects of green forms of tourism.
"Tourism must be sustainable and sustainable, so we are committed to working for an industry that incorporates these elements on a daily basis, promoting initiatives and activating coordination with other public institutions for the development of green policies," said the Undersecretary of Tourism, Verónica Pardo Lagos.
According to government policies, tourism development must be sustainable and based on the protection of natural resources. For this reason, the participatory construction of the Decentralized National Tourism Strategy has a "green" approach within its pillars, with the objective that the country continues its world leadership in this area.
In addition, one of the lines of work is to support the certification and recertification of companies with the Sernatur S Seal, a distinction in sustainable tourism that guarantees visitors that tourist accommodations, tour operators and travel agencies comply with global tourism sustainability criteria in the socio-cultural, environmental and economic areas.
The national director of Sernatur, Cristóbal Benítez Villafranca, indicated that "having the possibility of continuing to be world leaders in this category is a testimony to the joint efforts of the public and private sectors to promote tourism experiences based on sustainability and the natural wealth of our sixteen regions".
The Best Green Destination in the World joins two other awards given to Chile during 2023. These are the Best Romantic Destination and Best Adventure Tourism Destination in South America. In total there are already 30 awards received by our country in the World Travel Awards since 2015.