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On December 12, 2025, Travel Operators for Tigers (TOFT) hosted the 8th Annual TOFT Wildlife & Nature Tourism Awards at Bikaner House, New Delhi, bringing together leaders shaping the future of sustainable and responsible tourism across the Indian subcontinent. The ceremony, themed “Rewilding Tourism: Sustaining Nature, Empowering Communities,” celebrated initiatives that integrate wildlife conservation, community empowerment, and nature-positive tourism practices.
The evening brought together state tourism officials, conservationists, industry experts, lodge owners, naturalists, community enterprises, photographers, and responsible travel advocates, all united by a shared commitment to ensuring tourism contributes directly to wildlife protection, habitat restoration, and resilient local livelihoods. The 2025 winners and finalists demonstrated how thoughtfully managed nature tourism can drive ecological restoration, strengthen rural economies, and safeguard India’s natural heritage.
Established in 2010, the TOFT Wildlife Tourism Awards have grown into one of the sector’s most respected platforms, recognising excellence in sustainable tourism while inspiring the wider adoption of responsible, regenerative practices across India and the subcontinent.
The ceremony featured Mr. Bittu Sahgal, Editor, Sanctuary Asia and Founder, Sanctuary Nature Foundation, as the Keynote Speaker. Drawing on over four decades of conservation experience, he emphasised the critical role of responsible tourism in conservation awareness and community wellbeing. “Forests, wildlife, and the communities that protect them are not optional assets they are life-support systems for our collective future,” Mr. Sahgal said
He also paid tribute to the late Mr. Valmik Thapar, one of India’s most respected wildlife conservationists, acknowledging his enduring legacy. Reflecting on lessons from Gir and other wilderness landscapes, Mr. Sahgal highlighted climate instability as a growing threat to both wildlife and human wellbeing. “Tourism must move beyond minimising harm to actively restoring ecosystems and reconnecting younger generations with nature,” he added.
The 2025 TOFT Wildlife & Nature Tourism Awards recognised excellence across conservation-led tourism, honouring eco-lodges, individuals, organisations, and community initiatives shaping responsible travel in India and the region.
The John Wakefield Memorial Award for Most Inspirational Eco Lodge of the Year was presented across PUG Outstanding, PUG Quality, and Footprint (Non-Wildlife) categories, celebrating eco-sensitive properties that integrate sustainability, local culture, and community engagement.
Individual excellence was acknowledged through several sponsored categories, including Lodge Naturalist of the Year (sponsored by Jungle Camps India), The Billy Arjan Singh Memorial Award for Wildlife Guide of the Year (sponsored by Pugdundee Safaris), Champion of the Forest (sponsored by Jehan Numa Wilderness), Conservationist of the Year (sponsored by All For Nature), and Climate Guardian of the Year (jointly sponsored by Machaan Lodges & Resorts and Bagh Tola).
Organisational and community-led impact was recognised through Wildlife Promotion Company of the Year, International Wildlife Tour Operator of the Year, Wildlife Harmony Homestay Award, Most Inspirational “Rising Star” Eco Lodge of the Year, Wildlife Tourism Community Initiative of the Year (sponsored by Holidays in Rural India), Wildlife and Tourism Initiative of the Year (sponsored by Travel Inn [India] Pvt. Ltd.), and the Sustainable Homestay Award (sponsored by Limban Resort).
Creative and advocacy-driven efforts were honoured through the Wildlife Conservation Photography Award (sponsored by Sudhir Shivaram Photography) and the Wildlife Conservation Documentary Award (sponsored by The Wander Plan). Landscape-level excellence was recognised with the Kailash Sankhala Visitor-Friendly Wildlife National Park of the Year (sponsored by Tiger Resorts Jungle Lodges) and the Sanctuary Asia Award for Best State for Sustainable Wildlife Tourism 2025.
Together, the 2025 awardees highlighted the power of tourism when guided by ethics, accountability, and community partnership to support wildlife conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.
