Whale Watch grabs major award

Paul McGahan

An Orca whale entertains whale watchers a short distance off the beach at Kaikoura.

Relevant offers

Kaikoura tourism operator Whale Watch has been handed the Supreme Award at this year's Responsible Tourism Awards in London.

It was declared the overall winner for developing a tourism initiative from the ground up. The awards honour operators across the world that seek to ensure that local communities and environments benefit from tourism as much as possible.

Speaking from London Whale Watch chief operating officer Kauahi Ngapora told The Press it was a great achievement to come out on top.

"We are feeling fantastic. Over the moon...over the moon to win our category, but to get the supreme award was just simply amazing stuff" he said.

The judges commended Whale Watch for providing consistently responsible tours with minimal impact.

The company beat off 12 other finalists to take the top prize. It also won in its own category, Best in a marine environment.

Another New Zealand entry, YHA Wellington City, also won in its category, Best large hotel.

Other finalists included the City of Cape Town(South Africa), Royal Caribbean Cruises(USA), Upland Escapes(UK) and Village Ways(India)