Our Awards

Responsible Travel Awards, 2008

Highly commended in the "Best Volunteering Organisation" category.

The Responsible Tourism Awards are sponsored by responsibletravel.com, Virgin Holidays, The Daily Telegraph, Geographical Magazine and BBC World News, and the World Travel Market. The awards are the most competitive and prestigious awards of their kind in the world.

The awards recognise tourism ventures that make a positive contribution to conservation and the economies of local communities while minimising any negative impacts of tourism.

More than 1,900 tour operators from across the globe were nominated for the awards.

Responsible Travel Awards, 2007

Highly commended in the "Best in a Marine Environment" category.

The Responsible Tourism Awards are sponsored by responsibletravel.com, Virgin Holidays, The Times, the World Travel Market and Geographical magazine. The awards recognise tourism ventures that make a positive contribution to conservation and the economies of local communities while minimising any negative impacts of tourism.

More than 1,700 tour operators from across the globe were nominated for the awards.

Responsible Travel Awards, 2006

Highly commended in the "Best Volunteering Organisation" category.

The First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards are sponsored by responsibletravel.com, The Times and Geographical Magazine.

The awards are the largest of their kind and recognise tourism organisations that respect and benefit local people and places. Blue Ventures was chosen from among 1,200 nominations.

Skål International Eco-tourism Awards, 2006

Winner of the "General Countryside" category from Skal, the world's largest organisation of travel and tourism professionals.

Responsible Travel Awards, 2004

Highly commended in the "Best in a Marine Environment" category.

The awards recognise companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to 'responsible' tourism – that is, projects which make a positive contribution to conservation and the economies of local communities, while minimizing the negative impacts that tourism can have.

Equator Prize (United Nations Development Programme), 2007

Blue Ventures' partnership with the village of Andavadoaka won the UNDP Equator Prize in recognition of outstanding community efforts for poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation.

Blue Ventures worked with Andavadoaka in 2004 to establish the world’s first community-run octopus no-take zone. The strategy, which created seasonal closures, not only ensures the long-term survival of octopus populations, but also results in greater yields for fishermen when the closures are opened each season.

United Nations SEED Award (UNDP, UNEP, IUCN), 2005

Blue Ventures became the first European organisation to win this prestigious award in recognition of innovative, locally-driven partnerships delivering sustainable development and livelihoods. Winners were selected from over 260 entries from 66 countries, representing 1,200 organisations.

Blue Ventures’ partnership project ‘Madagascar’s first community-run, experimental Marine Protected Area’ was chosen as a ‘shining example of how economic development and environmental protection can go hand in hand,’ according to the international panel which made the selection.

Finalist, Ashoka and National Geographic Geotourism Challenge, 2008

Blue Ventures was selected as one of 14 finalists from 516 nominations, from 89 countries.

The goal of the Geotourism Challenge is to identify and showcase innovators - individuals and organisations that support the approach known as geotourism: tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place, its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.

You can read more about our entry at http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/5935

Enterprising Young Brits Awards, 2005 and 2006

Blue Ventures was highly commended for two consecutive years by then UK Chancellor, Gordon Brown, in the 'social and environment' category of this national enterprise competition.

Chancellor Gordon Brown said; ‘All of the finalists are winners – they are creating new opportunities and advancing new ideas to create an enterprising society.  Do not underestimate the power you have to encourage others – you are making your mark by showing that enterprise is changing the face of Britain.’