The tourism industry’s diversity has been recognised as the winners of the 2018 PATA Grand Award and Gold Awards are unveiled. A total of 27 organisations and individuals who are helping to drive tourism forward have been recognised after a panel of experts whittled down the winners from more than 200 entries worldwide.
The heralded Grand and Gold awards will be dished out to companies including Amadeus Asia Limited, AirAsia, Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong Tourism Board, PEAK DMC, India and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
The annual awards are split into four categories covering marketing, education and training, environment, and heritage and culture.
TAT is set to receive the top PATA Grand Award for Education and Training for its ‘King’s Wisdom for Sustainable Tourism’ project, a collaboration between the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Thailand.
Thailand’s Elephant Hills Luxury Tented Camps scooped the Environmental award for its conservation work.
The Heritage and Culture Award will be go to Hong Kong Tourism Board for its ‘Art is Everywhere’ project. This saw two artists collaborate on a photography project that showcased Hong Kong’s hidden art gems. This represented a first for an Asian destination to use a photography project as a tool to promote art scenes.
Hong Kong has scooped another gong in the form of the Marketing Award. Hong Kong Tourism Board’s ‘Hong Kong Neighbourhoods: Old Town Central’ campaign caught the eye of judges, with its innovative way of raising awareness and encourage visitors to explore the dynamic district of Central and Sheung Wan – repackaged by the Hong Kong Tourism Board into ‘Old Town Central (OTC)’.
Mario Hardy, PATA CEO, said, “On behalf of PATA, I would like to congratulate the 2018 PATA Grand and Gold Award winners, as well as all of this year’s participants for their submissions. This year’s winners exemplify the true values of the Association in working towards a more responsible travel and tourism industry in the Asia Pacific region.”
The awards will be handed out at a ceremony during the annual PATA Travel Mart held in Langkawi, Malaysia, on September 14.
A full list of PATA Grand Award Winners and Gold Award winners can be found here.