Ingleton man's top travel writing award (From Craven Herald)

Ingleton man's top travel writing award

11:50am Tuesday 1st December 2009

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An Ingleton man who swapped the Dales for South-East Asia more than a decade ago has won a major award for travel writing.

After more than 20 years working for Barclays Bank, Michael Horton changed careers and has spent 11 years working in development projects across South-East Asia.

Since 2006, he has been living and working in Siem Reap, Cambodia where he established ConCERT, (Connecting Communities, Environment & Responsible Tourism), to help reduce the high levels of poverty and suffering that are an everyday fact of life for most of the population.

This is done by making it easier for tourists to support local charities and organisations who work in the town.

Mr Horton told The Craven Herald that, in February this year, Hilary Bradt, one of Britain’s most distinguished travel authors and a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers, called in at the ConCERT office.

She was so impressed that she nominated the project for the British Guild of Travel Writers award for best overseas tourism project.

“This is given for the best new (less than two years old) overseas tourism project, which not only has a tourist potential but is also of benefit to the local community and environment,” he said.

He learned of ConCERT’s success at a dinner at the Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square in London’s Mayfair.

The evening was particularly special as Hilary then won the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

While in the UK, Mr Horton spent time visiting the World Travel Market in London, where he attended the sessions on responsible tourism and spoke about ConCERT’s work. He also visited the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism stand.

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