17 Jul, 2014

PATA Announces 2014 Grand and Gold Award Winners

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BANGKOK, July 17, 2014 — The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the winners of the 2014 PATA Grand and Gold Awards.  Sponsored by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) for the last 19 years, this year’s awards recognise the achievements of 20 organisations and individuals.

PATA will present 28 Grand and Gold Awards to such organisations as Capilano University, Canada; Garuda Indonesia; Khiri Travel; Korea Tourism Organization; and Travel +Leisure magazine. The awards luncheon will take place at Diamond Island City Hall, on Friday, September 19, 2014 during the PATA Travel Mart, September 17-19 and PATA Executive Board and Board Meeting, September 19-21.

Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of MGTO, said, “Hats off to all PATA Gold Award 2014 winners! Your outstanding achievements are a breath of fresh air to the rest of the region, broadening our horizons and inspiring us to aim high, not merely on our respective destinations, but collectively as a region. The Macau Government Tourist Office is honoured to support this far-reaching PATA programme through our sponsorship for the last 19 years.”

Mr. Martin J. Craigs, PATA CEO, added, “On behalf of PATA, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to all 2014 Grand and Gold Award winners. We are pleased to recognise their achievements at the PATA Gold Awards Luncheon and Presentation and look forward to celebrating their accomplishments at the PATA Travel Mart in Phnom Penh.”

The PATA Grand Awards are presented to outstanding entries in four principal categories: Marketing; Education and Training; Environment; and Heritage and Culture.

Capilano University will receive the 2014 PATA Grand Award for Education and Training for its “Vietnam Ethnic Hill Tribe Community Tourism Partnership” project. Through the project, Capilano University faculty and students travel to Sapa and Hanoi in Vietnam to work in partnership with Hanoi Open University (HOU) in delivering skills-based training in areas of homestay development, business development, product development, tourism planning, and cultural preservation. The project aims to build the tourism capacity of the village and foster tourism networks through connections between the village and private sector tourism organisations.

The Environmental Award will be presented to Jetwing Vil Uyana, Sri Lanka, for its “Man and Nature in Perfect Harmony” project. Jetwing Vil Uyana embodies the ultimate in eco-friendly luxury – a private nature reserve created on abandoned agricultural land, comprising a wetland eco-system with lakes, reed beds, and forest. Thirty luxurious dwellings are integrated into a wetland reserve of three acres despite the property spanning 24 acres. Paddy is grown on five acres of land using traditional harvesting methods with dwellings set within the paddy field – a first in Sri Lanka – and the entire property is now home to many species of flora and fauna, including the elusive loris, for whom a separate area of three acres has been designated as a loris conservation site.

The Heritage and Culture Award will be awarded to Khiri Travel for its “Banteay Chhmar Tented Camp.” Banteay Chhmar is a neglected collection of late 12th Century temple ruins in northwest Cambodia. Khiri Travel allows guests to stay in ‘luxury’ tents, enabling a natural, self-sustainable option for the community. The tents are erected approximately 50 meters from temple ruins to give guests a sense of real affinity, proximity and ‘adventure’. After the tents are dismantled, there are no traces of them having ever been there – apart from a small patch of compressed grass. The programme aims to build awareness and understanding of the significant cultural heritage in the Khmer context, enhance the local villagers’ income and pride, and provide a low impact and mutually beneficial tourist-host community relationship.

The Marketing Award will be presented to Tourism New Zealand for its “100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand” campaign. Tourism New Zealand aims to leverage the huge media and consumer attention that The Hobbit Trilogy has and will continue to achieve, and convert that attention into travel to New Zealand – the country where the movies were made. The campaign, developed in partnership with The Hobbit moviemakers Warner Brothers and Weta Workshop, has been the primary marketing campaign for Tourism New Zealand in its key offshore markets. The Hobbit and associated marketing campaigns have been a significant contributor to visitor arrival growth to New Zealand over the last 18 months.

Open to both PATA and non-PATA members, this year’s Awards attracted a total of 181 entries from 66 travel and tourism organisations.

PATA Grand Awards 2014

Education and Training
Vietnam Ethnic Hill Tribe Community Tourism Partnership
Capilano University, Canada

Environment
Man and Nature in Perfect Harmony
Jetwing Vil Uyana, Sri Lanka

Heritage and Culture
Banteay Chhmar Tented Camp
Khiri Travel

Marketing
100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand
Tourism New Zealand

PATA Gold Award 2014

Marketing – Primary Government Destination
Hold My Hand in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Tourism Board

Marketing – Secondary Government Destination
Open Up to More – Melbourne
Tourism Victoria, Australia

Marketing – Carrier
Immigration on Board
Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia

Marketing – Hospitality
Rosewood A Sense of Place
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Hong Kong SAR

Marketing – Industry
Making Holidays a Priority for Indians
Kuoni Travel (India), India

Environment – Ecotourism Project
Elpitiya Plantations Excursions
Aitken Spence Travels, Sri Lanka

Environment – Corporate Environmental Programme
Planet 21
Accor Asia-Pacific

Environment – Environmental Education Programme
My Land, My Water, My Home
Palau Visitors Authority

Corporate Social Responsibility
Kumarakom Responsible Tourism
Kerala Tourism, India

Heritage
Garuda Indonesia Experience
Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia

Culture
Wonder Full Water and Light Show at Marina Bay Sands
Laservision Mega Media Ltd, Singapore

Education and Training
Building futures
Accor Asia-Pacific

Marketing Media – Consumer Travel Brochure
Shop Guam Festival Travel and Shopping
Guam Visitor Bureau, Guam

Marketing Media – Travel Advertisement Broadcast Media
Kuoni Travel (India), Making Holidays a Priority for Indians

Marketing Media – Travel Advertising Print Media
Living Canvas
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Hong Kong SAR

Marketing Media – Travel Poster
Korean Royal Court Cuisine and Bibimbap
Korea Tourism Organization, Korea SAR

Marketing Media – Promotional Travel Video
Malaysia Truly Asia – The Essence of Asia
Tourism Malaysia, M&C SAATCHI (M) SDN BHD

Marketing Media – Public Relations Campaign
Hong Kong Tourism Board
2013 Visa go Hong Kong Super Shopper

Marketing Media – Social Media
Thailand Only
Tourism Authority of Thailand

Marketing Media – Web Site
New Website Creation
Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, Hong Kong SAR

Marketing Media – E-Newsletter
Kerala Tourism, India

Travel Journalism – Destination Article
Hong Kong Now
Written by Peter Jon Lindberg and photographed by Adam Friedberg
Travel & Leisure Magazine, October 2013, USA

Travel Journalism – Industry Business Article
Team On Board
Interviewed By Raini Hamdi, Karen Yue, Xinyi Liang-Pholsena, S Puvaneswary and Rosa Ocampo
TTGMice, May 2013, Singapore

Travel Journalism – Travel Photograph
Footprints on the Beach
Tourism Authority of Thailand

Travel Journalism – Travel Guidebook
Colours of the Sky
Tourism Authority of Thailand