PATA announces PATA Gold Awards 2020 winners

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) today announced the winners of the PATA Gold Awards 2020. Proudly supported and sponsored by the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) for the last 25 years, this year's awards recognise the achievements of 23 organisations and individuals.

PATA presented 20 Gold Awards to such organisations as Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts; Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka; Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA); Kazakh Tourism National Company JSC; Macao Government Tourism Office; Mekong River Tourism; Outrigger Hospitality Group; Sampan Travel; SriLankan Airlines Ltd.; Taylor's University; Tourism Authority of Thailand, and TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd.

The winners were announced during the Online PATA Gold Awards Presentation as part of Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020, taking place from September 23-27.

Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of MGTO, said, “I commend all PATA Gold Awards participants for keeping alive the spirit of innovation, helping to raise the bar across all sectors of the industry. As we look forward to restarting tourism in the ‘new normal’, more than ever we will have to come up with solutions ‘outside the box’ to ensure that tourism is not only safe, but also seamless and appealing. Macao is honored for its long-standing support to PATA in this inspiring initiative, on our way to transform the city into a world centre of tourism and leisure.”

PATA CEO Dr. Mario Hardy added, “On behalf of PATA, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to all PATA Gold Award winners and Grand Title winners, and I would also like to thank all of this year’s participants. The achievements of this year’s winners will hopefully inspire and encourage our industry to create new responsible and sustainable initiatives as we look towards recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first year that we announced the winners live and it was an absolute pleasure to celebrate their accomplishments during the Online PATA Gold Awards Presentation.”

The PATA Grand Title Winners were presented to outstanding entries in three principal categories: Marketing, Sustainability, and Human Capital Development.

Kerala Tourism, India received the PATA Gold Award 2020 Grand Title Winner in Marketing for Education and Training for its “Human by Nature Print Campaign”. In August 2018, unprecedented heavy Monsoon rain devastated Kerala. The ordinary people of Kerala, the fishermen, students, working professionals, and villagers emerged as the Heroes of the Flood. The campaign is drawn from the everyday life of people in the five diverse terrains of Kerala and explores the fascinating ‘humanscape’ of the land. The idea emerged from travellers who began to perceive ‘human’ encounters in Kerala as a unique, enriching experience. Moreover, the campaign which promotes ordinary people as brand ambassadors of the land is built on the idea of a common humanity that connects the travellers with Keralites and the fact that everyday life in its reality is one of the most exceptional experiences that Kerala offers.

The Grand Title Winner in Sustainability was presented to YAANA Ventures, Thailand, for the Anurak Community Lodge. Anurak Community Lodge in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, is a Travelife Gold certified eco-lodge for active lifestyle visitors who respect nature and local community traditions. Surrounded by spectacular limestone karst scenery, the lodge is an ideal base to explore adjacent Khao Sok National Park and majestic Chiew Larn Lake. Anurak’s operation since opening in 2016 has been guided by an ethos of reduce, reuse and recycle. Guests and staff are encouraged to save energy and water. Single-use plastic, Styrofoam and cardboard plates are banned. Plastic straws have been replaced with bamboo and metal ones. An onsite recycling station has been set up, along with a composting area. A grey water treatment filter system for laundry wastewater is in place. Water from that system is being used on the Rainforest Rising project, Anurak’s project to return two rai (3,226 sqm; 0.8 acres) of former palm oil plantation beside the lodge to indigenous lowland evergreen forest by 2023.

The Grand Title Winner in Human Capital Development was bestowed to MGM China, Macao, China for its “Unleashing Greatness – MGM’s Human Capital Development Initiative”. Guided by MGM’s vision of “Unleashing Greatness for all”, they aim to unleash the greatness of their constituents through sustainable development of its employees, communities and responsible tourism. They build a sustainable world-class hospitality workforce with a strong learning culture that engages employees and lifelong learning. Their best-in-class 74 training hours per head per year validates our commitment and achievement in this endeavor. MGM practices responsible citizenships to ensure localization of staff and the sustainable development of its extended communities. Their initiatives include scholarships for local students, internship opportunities, community outreach program, youth leadership development, etc. One example is its pioneering free online sign language lessons to the community in Macao, China.

Open to both PATA and non-PATA members, this year's Awards attracted a total of 121 entries from 62 travel and tourism organisations and individuals.

PATA Grand Title Winners 2020

PATA Grand Title Winner 2020
Marketing
Human By Nature Print Campaign
Kerala Tourism, India

PATA Grand Title Winner 2020
Sustainability
Anurak Community Lodge
YAANA Ventures, Thailand

PATA Grand Title Winner 2020
Human Capital Development
Unleashing Greatness – MGM’s Human Capital Development Initiative
MGM China, Macao, China

PATA Gold Award Winners 2020

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Marketing Campaign (National - Asia)
Macao's Mobile Cafe 2019
Macao Government Tourism Office USA, Macao, China

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Marketing Campaign (State and city - Global)
Script Your Adventure 2019
Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, India

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Marketing - Carrier
Next Door Neighbors
SriLankan Airlines Ltd., Sri Lanka

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Marketing - Hospitality
Pu'er Red Panda Manor
Mekong River Tourism, China

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Marketing - Industry
Slow Travel Myanmar
Sampan Travel, Myanmar

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Digital Marketing Campaign
Sustainable Gastronomy - The Great Green Food Journey, Macao, Celebrating Creativity, Sustainability and Culture
Macao Government Tourism Office, Macao, China 

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Printed Marketing Campaign

Taichung – Perfect Weekend
Tourism and Travel Bureau, Taichung City Government, Chinese Taipei

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Travel Video
Travelstan
Kazakh Tourism National Company JSC, Kazakhstan

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Travel Photograph
A Beautiful Bond, Ban Nong Bua Elephant Village, Surin
Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thailand

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Destination Article
Thai Left Bank
Dr. John Borthwick, Australia

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Business Article
Food For The Soul
TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd, Singapore

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Climate Change Initiative
Outrigger's Zone (OZONE)
Outrigger Hospitality Group, Hawaii

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Community and Social Responsibility
Banyan Tree 25th Anniversary Global Sustainability Initiatives
Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, Singapore

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Community based Tourism
Community Homestay Network
Royal Mountain Travel, Nepal

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Culture
Alishan Tea Culture Performance and Sustainable Development
Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Chinese Taipei

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Heritage
Rainforest Ecolodge (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Tourism for All
Virtual Tourism for Senior Citizens
Taylor's University, Malaysia

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Women Empowerment Initiative
Supporting and Promoting Women’s Career Development of Tourism Products of the “Nan-Ner-Jaow” Brand
Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), Thailand

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Youth Empowerment Initiative
DASTA NAN Youth Club (DNYC)
Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), Thailand

PATA Gold Award 2020 - Human Capital Development Initiative
The IFTM Tourism Education Student Summit (TEd Summit) Event
Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao, China

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