With a steady eye on identifying fun, interactive and ethical travel experiences, the whl.travel global online travel-booking network taps into and magnifies the excellence of local tourism experts who. Alone, these experts are local leaders, but united they have become a forceful global presence for the right kind of tourism, sharing with major markets all…

Last weekend, in the Bahamas, the TravelMole Caribbean Web Awards 2012 singled out several websites for their excellence in online travel. While it did not take top honors, Gunyah.com, the WHL Group’s marketplace for authentic local-travel experiences and short break holidays and vacations, was shortlisted in the Tour Operator category.

It’s hard to believe another year has gone by. And with it the grace of another 44 incredible Photos of the Week. We are nevertheless once again proud to present our Photos of the Year – the travel pictures of the year 2011 that most captured the imagination of The Travel Word team and a group of expert external judges. Unlike our Photo of the Year 2010, this year, we had a tie for first place.

The winners have now been announced of the Ecotourism Travel Blog Contest sponsored by whl.travel. The goal of the contest was to promote ecotourism and responsible travel through shared stories about real-world adventures. Now, from a shortlist of 10 finalists established by popular opinion, three winners have emerged, each entitled to an ecotourism adventure for two people courtesy of whl.travel.

“Just like in childhood memories in which reality seems to shine with living colours,” says the website of Montenegro Adventures, a well-respected tour operator, “Montenegro is a land of contrasts and natural beauty… a fascinating combination in which the tiny and the grandiose are tangled.” Apparently, that same website has been instrumental in capturing some of the same sense brilliance in “this small but fabulous destination.” Late last year, it was awarded the country’s Wild Beauty Award 2010 for Best Tourism Website.

After a year and 52 pictures, we are proud to present our Photo of the Year, the image that most captured the imagine of The Travel Word and a group of external judges: the Dazzling Colours of Sunset, the Maldives. Exactly one year ago, we started featuring one picture each week on The Travel Word. We spotlighted favourite images pulled from our growing collections on Flickr. We also asked the photographer or owner to submit a short and revealing text about it. These text-image combinations have proven to be very popular.

On Monday 6 August, The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) announced the 16 finalists (five individuals and 11 organisations) of the 2010 TIES Innovation Leadership in Sustainable Tourism Awards. The WHL Group is pleased to learn that one of its subsidiary companies, WHL Consulting, has been selected as a 2010 Innovation Award finalist for creation of the Tourism Development Bank.

The Wanderlust World Guide Awards (formerly known as the Paul Morrison Guide Awards) are held every year to recognise the very best of the world’s tour-guide community. The WHL Group is very proud to recognise the nomination of Tina Zorman, our whl.travel local connection in the beautiful unspoiled lands of Yemen.

On April 29, at the 2010 Travel Distribution Summit Asia in Singapore, a Web Innovation Award for Best Travel Startup of the Year was awarded to Urban Adventures. Urban Adventures, which was also shortlisted in the Most Exciting New Use of Technology in Travel category, was launched in October 2009 and has quickly grown into a global force, recently featured on Getaway, Australia’s favourite travel show.