Hong Kong Tourism Board and Intrepid DMC Nepal Named PATA Gold Award Winners

Bangkok, Thailand, July 18, 2024 / TRAVELINDEX / Twenty Two Winning-Entries Announced for the 2024 PATA Gold Awards, Winners To Be Celebrated at PATA Travel Mart 2024. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 PATA Gold Awards, honouring organisations and individuals for their exceptional achievements and commitment to advancing tourism. Among them, 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 Grand Title winning-entry in the Sustainability and Social Responsibility category.

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 dedicate their time and efforts into 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 colorful 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 center of tourism and leisure, we are honored to collaborate with PATA to help shape a vibrant yet responsible tourism industry across the Asia-Pacific region with the awards.”

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.

As mentioned above, the PATA Gold Award 2024 Grand Titles were presented to two esteemed organisations:

The Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong SAR received the PATA Gold Award 2024 Grand Title in Marketing for its “Hello Hong Kong Recovery Campaign”. The 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.

The PATA Gold Award 2024 Grand Title in Sustainability and Social Responsibility was awarded to Intrepid DMC Nepal, for its “More Intrepid Women For Nepal” Initiative. This initiative fosters a workplace culture that not only recognises but 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 full result of the PATA Gold Awards 2024 and list of the distinguished judges is attached herewith.

PATA Gold Awards 2024 Grand Title Winners:

1. PATA Gold Award 2024 Grand Title in Marketing
– Winner: Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong SAR
– Submission: Hello Hong Kong Recovery Campaign

2. PATA Gold Award 2024 Grand Title in Sustainability and Social Responsibility
– Winner: Intrepid DMC Nepal
– Submission: More Intrepid Women For Nepal

PATA Gold Award Winners 2024 – Marketing Category

1. Digital Marketing Campaign
– Winner: Kerala Tourism, Government of Kerala, India
– Submission: Holiday Heist

2. Marketing Campaign (National – Asia)
– Winner: Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong SAR
– Submission: Hello Hong Kong Recovery Campaign

3. Marketing Campaign (National – Pacific)
– Winner: Tahiti Tourisme, French Polynesia
– Submission: The Treasured Test

4. Marketing Campaign (State and city – Global)
– Winner: Jeju Tourism Organization, Korea (ROK)
– Submission: Nurturing Jeju’s Wellness Tourism Ecosystem

5. Marketing – Carrier
– Winner: SriLankan Airlines, Sri Lanka
– Submission: Colours of Jaffna

6. Marketing – Hospitality
– Winner: Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Macao, China
– Submission: Studio City Water Park

7. Printed Marketing Campaign
– Winner: Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong SAR
– Submission: Hello Hong Kong Recovery Campaign

8. Travel Video
– Winner: Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia
– Submission: Truly Wondrous, Nature & Rainforest

9. Travel Photograph
– Winner: Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thailand
– Submission: Monk on the raft

10. Business Article
– Winner: TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd, Singapore
– Submission: Going green

11. Destination Article
– Winner: Anabel Dean, Australia
– Submission: The Simple Bear Necessities of Life

PATA Gold Award Winners 2024 – Sustainability & Social Responsibility

1. Climate Change Initiative
– Winner: Jetwing Hotels Ltd., Sri Lanka
– Submission: SolarPV Installations

2. Community-Based Tourism
– Winner: Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal
– Submission: Tourism Thrives when communities unite (Sustainable Tourism for Livelihood Recovery Project)

3. Corporate and Social Responsibility
– Winner: Sivatel Bangkok Hotel, Thailand
– Submission: From Kitchen to Chicken and Beyond

4. Culture (Joint winners)
– Winner: Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration – DASTA, Thailand
– Submission: Revitalizing the Unique Performing Arts and Traditional Local Wisdom of the Trai Trung Community through the Establishment of Cultural Community Tourism
– Winner: Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thailand
– Submission: The Diversity of Southern Border

5. Heritage
– Winner: Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration – DASTA, Thailand
– Submission: Building on Ancient Inspiration for Inter-generational Heritage of Sangkhalok Wares

6. Human Capital Development Initiative
– Winner: Macao Government Tourism Office, Macao, China
– Submission: Tourism Human Capital Development

7. Tourism Destination Resilience (Asia Pacific)
– Winner: Korea Tourism Organization, Korea (ROK)
– Submission: Rising Star! The Sustainable and Informational ‘Stargazing Tourism’ in Jeollanam-do Province, Republic of Korea (ROK)

8. Tourism for All
– Winner: Gangneung City, Korea (ROK)
– Submission: Gangneung Accessible Tourism City Establishment Project

9. Women Empowerment Initiative
– Winner: Destination Asia, Thailand
– Submission: Empowering Marginalized Women in Bali

10. Youth Empowerment Initiative
– Winner: Galaxy Entertainment Group, Macao, China
– Submission: Nurturing Macau’s future leaders and cultivating our Team Members

Panel of Judges:

– Mr. Anthony Hoglund, General Counsel, APAC, Amadeus IT Group, Thailand
– Mr. Bernard Metzger, Founder & Chairman, Travelindex Group, United Kingdom
– Mr. Bharat Nagpal, Director-Sales, Rate Gain Adara Inc., United Kingdom
– Mrs. Caroline Bremner, Head of Travel Research, Euromonitor International, United Kingdom
– Mr. Chad Shiver, VP Destination Marketing, Clicktripz, LLC, United States
– Mr. David Hailstones, Senior Vice President & Chief Operations Officer, Bella Vista Institute of Higher Education Switzerland (BVIS), Switzerland
– Mr. Ed Kastli, Vice President, International Sales, American hotel & Lodging Association (AHLEI), United States
– Elif Balci Fisunoğlu, Deputy General Manager, Turkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), Türkiye
– Emmanuelle Charotte, VP Business Development, ECA2 LIMITED, Hong Kong SAR
– Ms. Hannah Pearson , Regional Director APAC, Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), United States
– Mr. Jesper Palmqvist, Area Director Asia PAcific, STR, Singapore
– Ms. Jintana Borin, Head of Market Development, Cloudbeds, United States
– Mr. John Williams, VP Advertising Sales, BBC Studios Singapore, Singapore
– Mr. Jonathan Song, Director of Global Business Development, Plaza Premium Lounge Management Limited, Hong Kong SAR
– Prof. Kaye Chon, Dean and Chair Professor, School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR
– Ms. Natalia Bayona, Executive Director, World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), Spain
– Professor Kumi Kato, PhD, Faculty of Tourism/Graduate School of Tourism, Wakayama University, Japan
– Mr. Randy Durband, CEO, Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), United States
– Mr. Simon lloyd, Dean – Hospitality Management, Dusit Thani College, Thailand
– Ms. Suyin Lee, Managing Director, Discova Travel, Singapore
– Mr. Taichiro Ishida, Marketing Manager, Suruga Marketing & Tourism Bureau, Japan
– Ms. Topaz Smith, Project Lead, Travel and Tourism, World Economic Forum (WEF), United States
– Ms. Xin Mok, Community Lead, Aviation, Travel & Tourism, Mastercard Asia/Pacific Pte. Ltd., Singapore

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit membership association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research, and innovative events to its member organisations, which including government, state and city tourism bodies; international airlines and airports; hospitality organisations, and educational institutions, as well as thousands of young tourism professional (YTP) members across the world. The PATA network also embraces the grassroots activism the PATA Chapters and Student Chapters, who organise numerous travel industry training programmes and business development events across the world. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 32 local PATA Chapters worldwide, while hundreds of students are members of the 28 PATA Student Chapters globally. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts, and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has an official office in Beijing.