Alcatraz Cruises, the National Park Service concessioner of ferry service to Alcatraz Island, has been awarded the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award in the category of Best Low Carbon Transport and Technology. Award winners were announced November 11 at the World Travel Market conference in London.
Alcatraz Cruises was a finalist alongside the British website Seat61.com and the Swiss Railway company Swiss Travel System. Only one other US company was honored – Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. For more information on the other winners visit the Responsible Tourism Awards website (www.responsibletoursimawards.com).
The Responsible Tourism Awards website states: “While the Hornblower Hybrid provides a convincing flagship vessel for Alcatraz Cruises’ innovative approach to sustainable tourism practices (an energy efficient vessel, constructed from a reused diving vessel, and with fuel savings of over 29,000 gallons per year), it is their commitment to the reduction of carbon use across the rest of their product range, decreasing particulate and NOx emissions by 95 % with the installation of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) units, that proves their commitment to minimising their environmental impacts.”
“Alcatraz Cruises has worked diligently to align all our operations with the best sustainable business models. This award, the renewal of our ISO 14001, 9001 and OHSAS 18001 certification, and our continual success with environmental audits are all testaments to our commitment,” commented Alcatraz Cruises General Manager Scott Thornton.