News in November 2009

We are delighted to have been Highly Commended in the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2009. The Awards celebrate individuals, companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making a commitment to local communities and contributing positively to biodiversity conservation. Our entry in the ‘Best in a Marine Environment’ category focused on our Eco Tribe activities, which aim to reduce the environmental impact of our hotel and diving operations. We were selected from over 150 entries by a panel of 13 judges chaired by Dr Harold Goodwin, Professor of Responsible Tourism Management at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. Whale Watch Kaikoura, based in New Zealand, was the overall winner of the 2009 Awards, which were announced on 11 November, at World Travel Market in London.

Camel Bar’s fancy-dress Halloween party has become a tradition for locals and guests alike, and this year was no exception! Angels, demons, witches, goblins, mummies, vampires, aliens, and a special SWAT team packed into the Bar along with other spookily dressed party-goers. As blood flowed (in the form of secret-recipe cocktails) the crowd rocked until late, to live music from regular band Screwdriver. See our Flickr page for some of the night’s best pictures.

It was great to meet so many of you at DIVE 2009 in Birmingham last month. We hope you enjoyed the Show as much as we did. If you weren’t able to be there, you can catch up with exclusive coverage of the weekend on the Underwater Channel. Part of the channel’s monthly Splash! Programme, the three-minute film covers DIVE 2009 highlights. Check out our very own instructor, Cath, talking about our nomination for a Responsible Tourism award and her work as Camel Eco Tribe coordinator. Watch the video (Cath appears after 1 minute 36 seconds).