Bangkok, Thailand, September 9, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) today announced the winners of the PATA Gold Awards 2021. Proudly supported and sponsored by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) for the last 26 years, this year’s awards recognise the achievements of 20 organisations and individuals.
PATA presented 18 Gold Awards to such organisations as the Catalan Tourist Board, Designated Areas for Sustainable Development Administration (DASTA); Galaxy Entertainment Group, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Korea Tourism Organization, Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Meridian Adventure Dive Resort, MGM China, Outrigger Hospitality Group, Plaza Premium Group, SriLankan Airlines Ltd., Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Ayala Land, Inc. – Ten Knots Group, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Tourism Malaysia, and TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd.
Under the guidance of PATA headquarters, 18 independent judges from around the world selected the winners of the 18 Gold Awards and two Grand Title Winners. The winners were announced during the Online PATA Gold Awards Presentation earlier today.
Ms Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of MGTO, said, “Amid the global disruption we are living due to the pandemic, the outstanding initiatives in tourism marketing and sustainability of this year’s PATA Gold Awards winners are a beacon of light for the industry. Congratulations to all winners for keeping up the spirit of innovation in these trying times. Macao is honored to maintain its long-standing support to this PATA initiative and contribute to help rebuild a more responsible and sustainable tourism industry.”
PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera added, “On behalf of PATA, I would like to extend our sincerest 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. It was a pleasure to celebrate their accomplishments live during the online PATA Gold Awards Presentation.”
The PATA Grand Title Winners were presented to outstanding entries in two principal categories: Marketing, and Sustainability and Social Responsibility.
The Macao Government Tourism Office USA Representative Office, Macao, China received the PATA Gold Award 2021 Grand Title in Marketing for its “Dream Now and Travel Later” campaign. In response to the global pandemic that caused a -93% of YOY decrease in visitor arrivals to Macao from 2019 to 2020, the Macao Government Tourism Office USA Representative Office (MGTO-USA) launched the “Dream Now and Travel Later” integrated campaign series in the fall of 2020, which consisted of the concepts of East Meets West and Macao Makes it to GIPHY with a goal to inspire consumers to “Dream Now and Travel Later.” The campaigns launched across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, inclusive of influencer partnerships, paid partnership with a third-party media platform, social media sweepstakes, content creation and management, and community engagement. Initially conceptualized in 2019, both campaign concepts required immediate reconsideration and redirection in order to compensate for the changing marketplace.
The Grand Title in Sustainability and Social Responsibility was presented to Cinnamon Hotel Management Ltd, Sri Lanka for its “Cinnamon Travel Pledge”. As a company that has always been guided by the values of caring, trust, and integrity, Cinnamon Hotel Management sought a way to be an effective support for the front-line employees and the country and bring a silver lining to this dark time in history. The Cinnamon Travel Pledge is a way of saying ‘Thank You’ to the brave front line workforce and appreciating their dedication and sacrifice with a getaway that gives them the chance to reconnect with their families and uplift their mindset.
Open to both PATA and non-PATA members, this year’s Awards attracted a total of 113 entries from 51 travel and tourism organisations and individuals.
PATA Grand Title Winner 2021
Marketing
Dream Now and Travel Later
Macao Government Tourism Office USA Representative Office, Macao, China
Sustainability and Social Responsibility
Cinnamon Travel Pledge
Cinnamon Hotel Management Ltd, Sri Lanka
PATA Gold Award Winners 2021
Marketing Campaign (National – Asia)
Special Tourist Visa (STV)
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thailand
Marketing Campaign (State and City – Global)
360 Hong Kong Moments – Great Outdoors
Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong SAR
Marketing – Carrier
#SriLankanPromises
SriLankan Airlines Ltd., Sri Lanka
Marketing – Hospitality
The Outrigger Promise
Outrigger Hospitality Group, USA
Marketing – Industry
Plaza Premium Group – Build Back Better
Plaza Premium Group, Hong Kong SAR
Digital Marketing Campaign
Legends of Catalonia
Catalan Tourist Board, Spain
Printed Marketing Campaign
DIVE INTO YOUR DREAM – MALAYSIA 365 DAYS
Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia
Travel Video
A Glimpse into Meridian Adventure Dive Resort – Raja Ampat
Meridian Adventure Dive Resort, Indonesia
Travel Photograph
The sunset view of Jingzaijiao Tile-paved Salt Fields
Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Chinese Taipei
Destination Article
Georgia, queen of the desert
Catherine Marshall, Australia
Business Article
TTG Asia July 2020: Loyalty wars
TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd, Singapore
Climate Change Initiative
Above & Beyond – Melco’s Sustainability Strategy
Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Macao, China
Corporate Social Responsibility
Be GREEN and GREAT in the time of COVID-19
Ayala Land, Inc. – Ten Knots Group, Philippines
Community Based Tourism
Tour Dure
Korea Tourism Organization, Korea (ROK)
Culture
Galaxy Entertainment Group – Promoting Cultural Tourism through our Foundation
Galaxy Entertainment Group, Macao, China
Heritage
THE DIVERSE HERITAGE OF KUBANG BADAK BIOGEOTRAIL
Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), Malaysia
PATA Gold Award 2021
Youth Empowerment Initiative
MGM Youth Empowerment and Engagement Initiative
MGM China, Macao, China
PATA Gold Award 2021
Human Capital Development Initiative
DASTA CBT Integrated Curriculum
Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), Thailand
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 more than 650 member organisations, including 82 government, state and city tourism bodies, 14 international airlines and airports, 71 hospitality organisations and 75 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 official offices or representation in Beijing and London.