Presentation of the Green Destinations Story Awards 2022 and the show’s own ITB Earth Award at this year’s ITB Berlin

23 February 2022

In addition to this year’s virtual ITB Berlin Convention from 8 to 10 March and the ITB Digital Business Day on 17 March, another show highlight awaits tourism professionals and interested visitors on Friday, 11 March 2022 at 1p.m.: the presentation of the Green Destinations Story Awards 2022.

The annual awards ceremony presents the most inspiring examples of best practices from the Top 100 competition, covering local and regional destinations, and honours them accordingly. Green Destinations and GLP Films are the co-organisers of the event – prizes are awarded in six categories: Localising and Decarbonising the Supply Chain, Communities & Culture, Environment & Climate, Nature & Ecotourism, Tourism Reset & Recovery and Special. Among those taking part are initiatives campaigning for minimising and recycling waste, including disposable plastics, creating car-free zones in cities, and revitalising rural areas through sustainable tourism models. One of the prizes is the ITB Earth Award, which recognises global pioneers combating climate change and environmental harm. ITB Berlin is examining a number of projects on sustainable tourism, and the international panel of judges will announce the winner at the awards ceremony on 11 March.

Naturally, ITB Berlin is also represented on the panel: “The Green Destinations ITB Earth Award means a lot to us. With it, we can show our support for destinations that are really doing something and making deeds follow words“, said Rika Jean-Francois, ITB commissioner for Corporate Social Responsibility and a panel member. “We must share these best practices and stories within our tourism community in order to inspire others to do the same – or to help them take their own route to stopping environmental harm and campaigning for a socially responsible future in tourism. We need this type of practical approach, which is why ITB Berlin is happy to be a part of this global movement supporting a green future and to once again honour an outstanding practice with the ITB Earth Award 2022.“

The judges include representatives of Green Destinations, GLP Films, The Travel Foundation, Tourism Cares, Sustainable Travel International, Destination Stewardship Center, Asian Ecotourism Network, Sustainability Leaders, Global Ecotourism Network (GEN), TravelIndex, Sustainable First and PLANETERRA Foundation – as well as from various continents and countries, among them the Netherlands, the USA, Costa Rica, the UK, Thailand, Japan and Canada.

Independent of the panel, there is also the Green Destinations People's Choice Award. In this prize category the public is invited to support outstanding projects. More than 10,000 votes have been cast, and the winner will also be announced at the online event.

Anyone interested in taking part can register here for the event on 11 March.