Awards Nominations

TOFTigers Wildlife Tourism Awards 2018

The sustainable nature tourism action charity, TOFTigers in association with Sanctuary Nature Foundation have combined to bring together the 5th TOFTigers Wildlife Tourism Awards 2018. The theme this year is ‘‘Inclusive Conservation – People and Wildlife’.

The Awards aim to highlight and reward the very best in the nature tourism field; those individuals, businesses, service providers and community enterprises who are leading the way in wilderness destinations in the Indian subcontinent. Each in their own way will be pioneering new ways to support and inspire wildlife conservation, engage local communities and help restoration of wildlife habitat through their vision, drive and actions.

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“It is an honour to again be Chairman of the 5th TOFTigers Wildlife Tourism Awards 2018.

With our new Government’s commitment to use tourism as a development and job creation tool, it’s more critical than ever that it’s driven down a sustainable path, and real ecotourism is one of the

principal ways of ensuring conservation as well as a sustainable source of revenue for both local communities and the Government. It is more important than ever to recognise those who work towards a sustainable future for the tiger, the environment and for the local communities who need to survive alongside our many endangered species.”

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Mike Pandey - Chairman of the Awards (TV presenter, Film Maker and Conservationist)

The Aims of the Awards are to:

Act as a beacon to the Global Tourist Industry, highlighting the important work being done by tourism in support of tiger conservation.
Increase public awareness of the value of responsible tourism as an agent of conservation and habitat renewal.
Reward and encourage best practice operations.
Encourage sustainability in tourism enterprises.
Promote community enterprise and community initiatives around Tiger Parks.

Judging Panel and Voting

The Awards have an eminent group of experts that decide the winners and runners up of each category. Chosen for their expertise, details of the panel can be seen here. This year we are also inviting visitors and travel trade to vote on their nature-based experiences for five Award categories.

Award Categories

The John Wakefield Memorial Award for Most Inspirational Eco Lodge of the Year 2018*
Up and Coming Excellence for Nature Award 2018*
The Billy Arjan Singh Memorial Award for Best Wildlife Guide of the Year 2018 (also carries INR 20,000 prize)
Lodge Naturalist of the Year 2018 (also carries INR 25,000 prize)
Visitor Friendly Wildlife Destination of the Year 2018* (also carries a prize INR 75,000 worth of kit or equipment to be used in tiger protection/conservation)
Wildlife Promotion Company of the Year 2018*
Wildlife Tourism Related Community Initiative of the Year 2018 (also carries a prize of INR 50,000)
Wildlife and Tourism Initiative of the Year 2018 (also carries a prize of INR 50,000 towards equipment/services for the benefit of the community)
International Wildlife Tour Operator of the Year 2018*

* Voting invited