Macau received a record four Grand and Gold Awards for its “exceptional achievements” in different areas of the tourism industry at this year’s Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards presentation,the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has announced.
According to an MGTO statement, the awards were announced during a virtual ceremony on Thursday.
MGTO garnered two Gold Awards and the public Macau Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) one, while gaming operator MGM China was among this year’s PATA Grand Awards winners.
The awards presentation ceremony is one of the highlights of the annual PATA Travel Mart programme, this year held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MGTO is participating in the PATA TravelMart (PTM) with a virtual booth, hosting destination promotions, business-to-business meetings and networking events. The four-day online PTM ends tomorrow.
MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes joined PATA CEO Mario Hardy on Thursday in revealing the list of this year’s awardees at the online ceremony. A total of 20 Gold Awards and three Grand Awards were presented to organizations and individuals for their innovation and excellence showcased in the different areas of marketing, sustainability and human capital development in tourism. The three Gold Awards and one Grand Award given to Macau were the most in a year collected by the city’s tourism stakeholders, the MGTO statement noted.
MGTO received a Gold Award for its Digital Marketing Campaign “Sustainable Gastronomy - The Great Green Food Journey,Macau. Celebrating Creativity, Sustainability and Culture”.
Conducted in partnership with National Geographic, the project shared stories in the form of video and articles about the growing trend to change the food industry into something more sustainable, positioning the city as a destination for sustainable food in Asia and inspiring better practices, inline with Macau’s commitments as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.
“Macau's Mobile Café 2019”, by the MGTO USA representative office, received a Gold Award in the category of Marketing Campaign (National – Asia).
“The initiative was a success, captivating the San Francisco market with a Macau-themed truck featuring Macanese food samples, travel deals, cultural performances” in conjunction with a broadcasting and social media campaign, events such as cooking classes, aiming to raise Macau’s destination’s profile in the US market, the statement said.
The IFTM initiative “Tourism Education Student Summit (TEd Summit) Event” won a PATA Gold Award in Human Capital Development Initiative.
According to the statement, “the TEd Summit is an important tool on the IFTM mission to groom talent for the tourism and hospitality industry. The annual event provides a platform for Bachelor of Science students in their final year of study to present research findings of their theses or projects examining the operation of the industry, to key industry stakeholders.”
MGM China received one of the Grand Awards in the category of Human Capital Development, with its project “Unleashing Greatness – MGM’s Human Capital Development Initiative”.
“Riding on the belief that effective human capital development and success in business are closely intertwined, MGM China’s talent development strategy includes initiatives ranging from continuous education for its staff, to internship opportunities for local students, along with community outreach programmes, like online sign language lessons,” the statement said.
PATA Gold Awards 2020 had received a total of 121 entries from 62 organisations and individuals worldwide, including 14 entries from Macau. The winners were selected by an independent judging committee of 16 personalities from various destinations. The awards aim to set standards for excellence and innovation in the tourism industry across the Asia-Pacific,the statement said, adding that MGTO has supported the awards since 1995, as a contribution to help foster a sustainable tourism industry in the region.
Founded in 1951, PATA describes itself as a“not-for-profit membership-based association that acts as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.”
According to its website, PATA provides "aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events" to its more than 800 member organisations, including 95 government, state and city tourism bodies, 20 international airlines and airports, 102 hospitality organizations and 70 educational institutions, as well as over 4,000 youth members across the world. PATA is headquartered in Bangkok.
