AS AN industry, the travel sector has more than its fair share of awards, with countless media and associations coming up with ‘best … this’ and ‘top … that’ which, in certain cases, can create ‘award apathy’.
There is much to be said in recognising those products and companies that aim to go that one step further in achieving excellence and striving for increased customer satisfaction. But, apart from the initial recognition, what do some of these awards really mean to the recipient especially in a practical sense?
This is why Arabian Travel Market wholeheartedly supports its annual New Frontiers Award to recognise and assist those areas struck by disaster and help revive their tourism industries in the most practical way.
We realise that by nominating destinations it often comes at a time when memories are still scarred, given that it is conferred in honour of outstanding contributions to tourism development in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Arabian Travel Market offers recipients of the New Frontiers Award free exhibition space which helps destinations market themselves as ‘back in business’, reinforcing a positive image after months of disaster-led media around the globe. Through press releases and articles such as this, destinations can garner much needed positive publicity.
The award is truly international. Natural disasters have no boundaries, they can strike sophisticated urban cities and idyllic tropical destinations alike at anytime. It can take the form of drought or deluge, earthquake or volcano, but the final outcome is always one of devastated livelihoods, destroyed in moments.
In 2010 and the early part of 2011, we again saw nature at its worst devastating places as far afield as Queensland, Australia, Haiti and Iceland. And in drawing up our shortlist, in consultation with industry professionals, international charities, global travel and tourism associations and journalists from leading travel publications, unfortunately we had no shortage of contenders.
Among the nominees for the 2011 New Frontiers Award are:
Haiti – subjected to a catastrophic earthquake of 7.0 on the Richter scale
Chile – another earthquake victim, this one 8.8 in magnitude and trigger for a coastal tsunami
Pakistan – floods that at one point covered one-fifth of the country
Queensland – where towns and cities were ravaged by flash floods, in an unprecedented deluge.
The human cost of disaster is always terrible to view, but what we notice again and again is the remarkable resilience and achievements of those involved, the super-human efforts that we salute with the New Frontiers Awards.
The awards also underline how travel and tourism has a role to play in the 21st century economies of so many countries and destinations.
Every visitor adds to the economic benefits, every word-of-mouth recommendation ensures sustainable tourism and the snowball affects can literally shape a country’s development with jobs and prosperity for its people.
We can all have a positive effect – and with the New Frontier Awards, we are simply reaching out to help those who, temporarily, need comfort and support from the tourism industry, offering a hand to help resume their lives and return to business as usual.
* Mark Walsh is the ATM’s group exhibitions director
ATM diaries by Mark Walsh