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Welcome President of the World Travel Awards Europe & Green Gala Ceremony 2008 Dear friends, It gives me a great honour to welcome you to the inaugural World Travel Awards: Europe & Green Awards Ceremony 2008, here in Poprad’s ground-breaking AquaCity. Now in our 15th year, the World Travel Awards has always been driven by an uncompromising quest for excellence – seeking out those travel companies that are doing more than anyone else to further the customer experience. Tonight’s Green Awards push this boundary one step further by acknowledging that customers today demand even more than the ultimate travel experience – they want to know their actions are working in harmony with the planet,
and that future generations will enjoy mother nature just as they do now. Leadingedge travel companies are those that honour this; their profits intertwined implicitly with sustainability and respect for our beautiful but delicate world. Tonight we celebrate those striving to build such businesses, for green tourism is not only healthy for the planet but can also form the cornerstone of a profitable travel business. AquaCity in many ways epitomises that ideal. Its pioneering use of geothermal water and solar energy saves around 27 tonnes of carbon from entering the atmosphere each day, compared to burning conventional fossil
fuels. As well as helping the planet, this saves millions of euros in energy costs, which in turn drives down holiday prices and offers guests the unique combination of affordable and green luxury. Tonight, with our European Awards, we also pay tribute to those across the Continent whose businesses have achieved an unrivalled level of excellence. Tourism here, like many regions globally, has its challenges, but it is in these economically turbulent times that business dynamics such as quality, value for money and innovation separates a good travel brand from a world-class one. Congratulations to all those who are receiving awards and also to those that have
made this evening possible. Honouring and promoting excellence and innovation in tourism and travel is the very essence of the World Travel Awards gala – so please enjoy yourselves with this in mind, for we value your incredible achievements and what you have done for our industry. Thank you all for being here with us on this very special evening, and we wish tonight’s winners the best of luck for the World Travel Awards Grand Final, Turks and Caicos, 12th December 2008.
Sincerely yours, Graham E. Cooke President and Founder World Travel Awards
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