Thiruvananthapuram, July 18 (IANS): Kerala Tourism bagged two top honours at the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Awards 2014.
The state tourism department's "Responsible Tourism" initiative in Kumarakom and its hugely popular online newsletter have won the PATA Gold awards, said an announcement Friday from the Macau Government Tourism Office, which supports and sponsors the awards.
Kumarakom Responsible Tourism Project won in the Corporate Social Responsibility category, while Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter received the recognition in the Marketing Media section.
This is the second consecutive PATA Gold award for the Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter.
"Through the Kumarakom model, we have shown the world that it is possible to successfully link the local community with the hospitality industry and various government departments for empowering the people and developing an area, while sustaining eco-friendly tourism," said State Tourism Minister A.P. Anilkumar.
The awards will be presented Sep 19 at the Diamond Island City Hall in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh.
Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes hailed Kerala Tourism's achievements as a "breath of fresh air to the Asia-Pacific region".
Kerala Tourism E-Newsletter, has a worldwide subscription of over 90,000. The PATA Awards are the latest in a string of honours for Kerala Tourism this year. After the UNWTO Ulysses Prize in January, Kerala Tourism won four top prizes at the National Tourism Awards 2012-13 in February, besides winning the Golden City Gate award, the world's leading travel and tourism fair ITB-Berlin's top award, dubbed the "Tourism Oscar", in March this year.