Margaret River, Western Australia, has scooped a coveted spot in the global Green Destinations Top 100 Sustainable Destinations Awards.
Every year the competition collects sustainable tourism stories and good practices from destinations all over the world to be shared as inspiring examples to others, from tourism professionals to travellers.
This year, Margaret River’s submission focused on the recent Climate Action Summit. The submission was titled ‘A View from the Summit.’
Judges were impressed by the strong community involvement and engagement with the Summit, as well as the commitment from the community and Shire to deliver on the actions identified at the event.
Recognition in the Top 100 Sustainable Destination Awards demonstrates that the Climate Action Summit is seen as a world- leading example of community engagement and action for climate.
Council’s Manager of Planning, Matt Cuthbert, is proud the Shire had been recognised as a leader in environmental management.
“Our goal is to protect and enhance the unique natural environment and biodiversity of the region through positive climate action.
“The Climate Action Summit was an incredibly valuable event which demonstrated the commitment of the Shire and the community to work together to ensure our environment is protected, rehabilitated and celebrated.”
The Award is a significant step towards Augusta Margaret River becoming certified as an ECO Destination.
Sustainable Economy Officer, Saul Cresswell, said, “Recognition as one of the Top 100 Destination Sustainability Stories demonstrates that our work on becoming an ecotourism destination is gaining traction.
“We’re committed to sustainable practices and providing high quality nature-based tourism experiences throughout the region. But it shows even more than that; it shows that our whole community is supporting environmental sustainability, and that’s what makes our region so special.”
Joint Chief Executive Officer and Group Manager for Marketing at the Margaret River Busselton Tourism Association, Sharna Kearney, is also celebrating the accolade.
“This award sends a strong message about how much we care about our place. Visitors are increasingly aware of the need to tread softly when they travel, and respect for our environment is an increasingly important factor in travellers’ destination choices.”
Submissions for the award were evaluated by the Sustainable Top 100 Team, country experts and Green Destination Partners, coordinated by Green Destinations. The Top 100 Committee stressed that selection to the Top 100 list does not mean the destination is sustainable, but that the destination has been pre-selected based on a minimum level of compliance with the core criteria of the Green Destinations Standard and selected to the list based on the assessment of their Good Practice Story.
The competition is held under the auspices of the Top 100 Partnership, with special contributions by: Green Destinations, QualityCoast, Travelife, ITB Berlin, Asian Ecotourism Network, Ecotourism Australia, Global Ecotourism Network, Sustainable First and GLP Films.
The story ‘A View from the Summit’ and the whole 2021 Top 100 list are available on the Green Destinations website.
