22 Winning-Entries Announced for the 2024 PATA Gold Awards, Winners To Be Celebrated at PATA Travel Mart 2024
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the 2024 PATA Gold Awards winners, honouring organisations and individuals for their exceptional achievements and commitment to advancing tourism. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has been selected as the Grand Title Winner in the Marketing category for its “Hello Hong Kong Recovery Campaign,” which also secured victories in two sub-categories. Similarly, Intrepid DMC Nepal’s “More Intrepid Women for Nepal” campaign has been named the winning entry in the Sustainability and Social Responsibility category.
Kerala Tourism has won the Gold Award 2024 for its online contest ‘Holiday Heist’ in the Digital Marketing Campaign category, marking a big endorsement of its innovative initiatives to attract visitors.
Sri Lankan Airlines, the national carrier of Sri Lanka has bagged the Marketing Gold Award 2924 in the Carrier category for their outstanding publicity campaign about the northernmost province of the Island nation named “Colours of Jaffna”.
Jetwing Hotels Ltd., Sri Lanka, is also among the Gold Award winners list for their SolarPV Installations in their resorts under the Sustainability & Social Responsibility category, while Nepal Tourism Board won the Community-Based Tourism category Gold Award for their Submission: Tourism Thrives when Communities Unite (Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery Project)
This year’s winners across two broad categories, namely Marketing, and Sustainability & Social Responsibility, were selected from over 100 entries submitted by 47 travel and tourism organisations and individuals.
All 20 winners will be celebrated at the upcoming PATA Travel Mart 2024, to be held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, Thailand on August 28. To further honour these outstanding achievements, all 22 winning entries will be featured in the 2024 PATA Gold Awards booklet, to be published in August, and throughout PATA Travel Mart 2024.
Since its inception in 1984, the PATA Gold Awards represents the true spirit of innovation, sustainability and the notion of tourism as a force for good. The awards are further distinguished by the voluntary participation of 23 independent expert judges from renowned organisations across the region. This prestigious celebration of excellence is generously sponsored by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), marking an impressive 29 consecutive years of collaboration.
“On behalf of PATA, I wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to the Macao Government Tourism Office for our long-standing partnership in powering the PATA Gold Awards 2024,” said PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid.
He added, “I am extremely delighted to note that we have received a significant number of high-quality submissions, with a 19% increase compared to the previous year. This is a clear sign that the travel and tourism sector is thriving and becoming more competitive than ever. We have witnessed tourism professionals putting more creativity and passion into their work to enhance the tourism economy. I would like to extend my gratitude to all the applicants and judges who have dedicated their time and efforts to making the PATA Gold Awards a possibility.”
Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office said, “This year’s PATA Gold Award winners bring another colourful kaleidoscope of outstanding initiatives in marketing, along with sustainability and social responsibility in the tourism industry, which deserve our admiration. As Macao aims for more diversification in its development as a world centre of tourism and leisure, we are honoured to collaborate with PATA to help shape a vibrant yet responsible tourism industry across the Asia-Pacific region with the awards.”
Terming ‘Holiday Heist’ as a milestone in tourism marketing by tourist destinations of the country, Mr P. A. Mohamed Riyas, Minister for Tourism, Kerala said the innovative campaign redefined tour package promotions, besides inspiring strategic thinking, creativity and kindling the spirit of adventure.
“The award is a vital recognition of Kerala Tourism’s aggressive promotional campaign, through which we were able to woo back tourists post-pandemic era. We have to keep up the momentum of growth by introducing brilliant and novel concepts like this in the sector,” he said. Mr Riyas said the campaign also had instilled huge confidence among stakeholders with its phenomenal response from visitors.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong SAR”s “Hello Hong Kong Recovery Campaign” actively engaged all segments of society in the mission of recovery, inviting visitors to explore Hong Kong SAR’s natural beauty, rich heritage, culinary delights, and more through innovative marketing initiatives. By 2023, Hong Kong SAR had successfully achieved 68% of pre-pandemic visitor arrivals through this recovery campaign, contributing to the revitalisation in areas such as hotel occupancy rates, per capita spending, and length of stay.
Intrepid DMC Nepal” ‘s “More Intrepid Women For Nepal” Initiative fosters a workplace culture that recognises and actively nurtures the potential of women, ensuring their voices are heard and contributions valued at all organisational levels. By encouraging and facilitating active female participation in all levels of operation from office-based staff to local communities, Intrepid DMC Nepal has increased the number of women-led accommodation providers, supported women-led non-profit organisations, and highlighted success stories to inspire others, among other impactful initiatives.
The PATA Gold Awards 2024 winners : Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong SAR – Hello Hong Kong Recovery Campaign (Grand Title in Marketing), More Intrepid Women For Nepal ( Grand Title in the Sustainability and Social Responsibility ), Kerala Tourism (Digital Marketing Campaign), Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong SAR – Hello Hong Kong Recovery Campaign ( Marketing Campaign (National – Asia), Tahiti Tourisme, French Polynesia -The Treasured Test (Marketing Campaign (National – Pacific), Jeju Tourism Organization, Korea – Nurturing Jeju’s Wellness Tourism Ecosystem (Marketing Campaign (State and city – Global), SriLankan Airlines- Colours of Jaffna (Marketing – Carrier ), Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Macao, China – Studio City Water Park (Marketing – Hospitality ), Hong Kong Tourism Board – Hello Hong Kong Recovery Campaign ( Printed Marketing Campaign ), Tourism Malaysia – Truly Wondrous, Nature & Rainforest (Travel Video), Tourism Authority of Thailand- Monk on the raft ( Travel Photograph), TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd, Singapore (Business Article), Anabel Dean, Australia – The Simple Bear Necessities of Life (Destination Article)
PATA Gold Award Winners 2024 – Sustainability & Social Responsibility: Jetwing Hotels Ltd., Sri Lanka (Climate Change Initiative), Nepal Tourism Board (Community-Based Tourism), Sivatel Bangkok Hotel, Thailand (Corporate and Social Responsibility), Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration – DASTA, Thailand ( Culture, Heritage) Tourism Authority of Thailand ( Culture), Macao Government Tourism Office, Macao (Human Capital Development Initiative), Korea Tourism Organization, Korea (Tourism Destination Resilience (Asia Pacific),. Gangneung City, Korea (Tourism for All), Destination Asia, Thailand 9Women Empowerment Initiative) Galaxy Entertainment Group, Macao (Youth Empowerment Initiative)
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