TOP TOURISM AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED ON WORLD TOURISM DAY

The Tourism Authority of Thailand will present the country’s major tourism awards on World Tourism Day, 27 September 2000, to commemorate the efforts of individuals and companies to uphold the professionalism, standards and image of one of the country’s most important foreign exchange earning industries.

The Thailand Tourism Awards, the Friends of Thailand Awards and the inaugural Tourist Guide Awards will take on a special significance this year in view of TAT celebrating the 40th anniversary of its founding.

The gala function will be held at the Central Plaza Hotel presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health H.E. Mr. Korn Dabbaransi and Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office and TAT Chairman H.E. Mr. Adisai Bodharamik. Initiated by TAT in 1996, the awards are conferred bi-annually to honour private and public tourism-related organisations for innovation and creativity in the field of sustainable tourism, conservation and environmental protection efforts.

“We believe that the sustainability of the tourism industry can only rest on how well it is taken care of today,” said TAT Governor Pradech Phayakvichien. “It is thus our duty and responsibility to reward those companies and individuals who strive for excellence, so that they may be recognised and attract business from other professional companies around the world.”

This year, the Thailand Tourism Awards will be conferred in 16 major categories as follows:

-- Four Best Tourist Attractions (Natural, Cultural and Historical, Recreational and Town and Local);

-- Three Best Tourist Accommodation (City, Convention and Resort);

-- Two Best Tour Programmes (Domestic and Inbound);

-- Two for Best Conservation/Preservation Organisation/BestConservation/Preservation (Organisation and Project), and;

-- Five for Best Tourism Publicity (Mass Printing, Special Printing, Television,Radio, and Internet and IT).

The Friends of Thailand Awards aim to honour friends of Thailand in four categories: international tour operators; International airlines; international media; and individual supporters.

A total of 83 Friends of Thailand Awards will be presented in four major categories: 28 individuals from 19 countries, 14 media from 13 countries, 30 tour operators from 25 countries and 11 airlines from nine countries.

To celebrate its 40th Anniversary, TAT has also initiated the First Tourist Guide Awards to recognise quality tour guides who have endeavoured to high levels of professionalism as well as to encourage other tour guides to follow suit.

Nine dedicated tour guides from all regions of Thailand handling both domestic and inbound business will be the first recipients of this award.

The selection of World Tourism Day, 27 September 2000, on which to confer the awards is also symbolically intended to show TAT's solidarity with the theme of the Day, “Technology and Nature: Two Challenges for Tourism at the Dawn of the 21st Century”. The Day is marked every year under the auspices of the Madrid-based World Tourism Organisation.

The TAT Governor commented, “Thailand recognises that technology and nature are the two most important elements of tourism growth and sustainable development for all tourist destinations with no exceptions to Thailand.

“While technology will primarily help us with our marketing, communications and business infrastructure efforts, it is the commitment to our natural environment that will hold the key to the survival of the entire industry.”