The winners of the inaugural Dubai Sustainable Tourism Awards have been announced by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai Tourism.

Comprising 17 different categories, the Awards recognise and celebrate the important work of Dubai’s hotels and tourism companies in advancing sustainability within the emirate’s tourism industry. The Dubai Sustainable Tourism Awards received 151 entries from tourism and hotel establishments ranging from five-star hotels and resorts, to guest houses and desert camps. The awards were made up of 10 main awards and seven special awards.

In addition to the 17 winners, Dubai Tourism also honoured the awards’ three Strategic Partners, Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, Dubai Municipality and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, as well as members of the judging panel and the team of experts that carefully evaluated entries.

The awards demonstrate Dubai Tourism’s commitment to supporting the United Nation’s proclamation of 2017 as the ‘International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development’. In collaboration with the United Nations, Dubai has created a unique ‘Carbon Abatement’ strategy that sets forth the city’s ambitions to reduce carbon emissions by 16 percent by 2021, making Dubai the city with the lowest carbon footprint in the world.

Commenting on the awards, Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of Dubai Tourism, said, "The Dubai Sustainable Tourism Awards recognise and celebrate the work of Dubai’s hotels in advancing sustainability within the city’s tourism and hospitality sectors. I would therefore like to congratulate the winners and also the many hotels that participated in the awards programme, which is in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, for sustainable development and the creation of a green economy."

The awards are part of the Dubai Sustainable Tourism, DST, initiative, formerly known as the Green Tourism programme, launched by Dubai Tourism with the aim of positioning the emirate as one of the world’s leading sustainable tourism destinations. The DST initiative looks at ways of improving and encouraging conservation of the emirate’s resources and reducing the carbon footprint of Dubai’s tourism industry.