Kerala Tourism sweeps PATA travel awards

NEW DELHI - Kerala Tourism walked away with four of the top honours at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Awards 2011 for outstanding achievement.

The awards were announced in Bangkok Thursday.

Kerala Tourisms new global campaign film “Your Moment is Waiting” bagged three PATA Gold awards.

Kerala, the only Indian state to figure in the PATA awards this year, also picked up one of the four PATA Grand awards in the environment category for its responsible tourism efforts in Kumarakom.

Kerala Tourism won three Gold awards making it the largest haul ever by a state government in the history of the PATA awards, a statement issued by the department said Friday.

Prominent Kerala resort chain CGH Earth won the PATA Gold award in the corporate environmental programme category for best eco-friendly practices.

Kerala Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said: “The Grand award puts an even greater responsibility on us to ensure that the achievements of responsible tourism in Kumarakom are sustained and taken to the next level to create a replicable model in tourism practices.

“The three awards for “Your Moment is Waiting” signify the creative edge, which our marketing campaigns have been acclaimed for. But this is the first time that Kerala has won four international awards of significance. We are very proud of it.”

Kerala Tourism Secretary V. Venu said this is an unprecedented honour.

“It is a recognition of the hard work by Kerala Tourism, its department, associates and its agencies in managing the Kerala brand and devising an innovative marketing strategy,” he said.

Launched in September 2008, the responsible tourism programme was the first such initiative by a tourism board in India. Under the project, ordinary people of Kumarakom worked with industry representatives like hotels and resorts, tour operators, travel agents, home-stay operators and souvenir shop owners, NGOs and government agencies to protect the environment in the high-profile destination.