Hilary Bradt Receives an MBE

Congratulations, Hilary!

For many years we have all been inspired by Hilary’s belief that we can make a difference to the countries we visit. I’m therefore delighted to be able to let you know that she has been included in this year’s Birthday Honours List to be awarded an MBE for services to the Tourist Industry and to Charity.

It is typical of Hilary that when she received the letter telling her she was included in this year’s list, she rang me up to ask if it was a joke! Well, no Hilary, it’s not a joke and from all of us at Bradt we couldn’t be more proud of you or pleased for you. You are a most deserving recipient and a continued inspiration to us all.

Donald Greig, Bradt MD

Hilary Bradt, MBE – The Background

14 June 2008

Pioneering publisher and traveller Hilary Bradt has been included in this year’s Birthday Honours List announced today by Buckingham Palace ‘for services to the tourist industry and to charity’.
 
The honour acknowledges Hilary’s achievements in opening up new destinations and encouraging ‘responsible tourism’, even before the phrase was coined. In the past Bradt Travel Guides published the first dedicated guides to – among others – Vietnam, Madagascar, Tanzania and Uganda, all now firmly established on the adventurous tourists’ trail. Guides to contemporary post-conflict destinations such as Bosnia & Herzegovina and in particular Rwanda have been credited with playing a pivotal role in re-starting the countries’ ecotourism industries. Recently Bradt published the first guide to Congo for over ten years, it is hoped with similar positive results.
 
Hilary Bradt has been fearless in promoting destinations that will never attract mass-market tourism and associated bestseller book sales. Her publishing criteria have never been defined solely by economics. Instead she has trusted gut feeling, a good author and a genuine wish to promote travel benefitting host countries as much as travellers.
 
As patron of the British charity Money for Madagascar, which receives 10% of her royalties, she has been active in encouraging tourists to get involved with charities in that country, both through her guide to Madagascar and by harnessing the goodwill of women who knit baby clothes, and of tourists willing to hand-carry them to Madagascar. She estimates that she has sent a couple of thousand hand-knits to two charities that work with destitute children.

» download the letter