2011 Awards for Excellence

Citation

(2012), "2011 Awards for Excellence", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 4 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/whatt.2012.40804aaa.002

2011 Awards for Excellence

Article Type: 2011 Awards for Excellence From: Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Volume 4, Issue 1

The following article was selected for this year's Outstanding Paper Award for Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes

"Does sustainable tourism offer solutions for the protection of the Amazon rainforest in Suriname?''

Harrold A. SijlbingSantour Foundation, Paramaribo, Suriname

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the tourism sector in Suriname drawing attention to some key initiatives for conservation and protection of the rainforest in Suriname. The paper also identifies the principal prospects, challenges, and weaknesses that attend both the planning and management of tourism in Suriname.Design/methodology/approach - The paper analyzes and draws evidence from articles, research papers, scholarly publications and official documents and supplements those findings with interviews with key officials and actors in the tourism sector. The paper reflects a balance of multiple perspectives in its investigation of the role of sustainable tourism initiatives in the effort to protect the rainforest of the Amazon region of Suriname.Findings - Suriname has been making strong efforts to expand the management of the area of forest that is under protection despite the increasing encroachments from mining activities. Apart from those challenges on the ground, there are also challenges of an institutional nature in the weak regulations and legislative framework necessary to conserve and protect rainforests through sustainable tourism activity.Practical implications - As the tourism authorities of Suriname plan to accelerate growth in the tourism sector and to double arrivals within the next three years, the issues addressed in this paper relating to sound rainforest management and most sustainable tourism practices should not escape the attention of tourism planners in Suriname.Originality/value --Suriname promotes itself as ``the beating heart of the Amazon''. This paper reveals some of the strong sustainability credentials of Suriname that have also received world recognition even as it presents a sobering picture of the clear and present threats to that sustainable future.

Keywords Tourism, Tourism development, Sustainable development, Conservation, Forests, Suriname

www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/17554211011037886

This article originally appeared in Volume 2 Number 2, 2010, pp. 192-200, Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes

The following articles were selected for this year's Highly Commended Award

"Weighing the option of biometrics in the hospitality industry''

Kelly Warren

This article originally appeared in Volume 2 Number 1, 2010, Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes

"The role of animal-based attractions in ecological sustainability: current issues and controversies''

Amir ShaniAbraham Pizam

This article originally appeared in Volume 2 Number 3, 2010, Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes

"Douro Valley tourism plan: the plan as part of a sustainable tourist destination development process''

Nuno FazendaFernando Nunes da SilvaCarlos Costa

This article originally appeared in Volume 2 Number 4, 2010, Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes