ARABIAN Travel Market has released the names of destinations nominated for this year’s New Frontiers Award, the results of which will be announced at the event in Dubai.
Making the shortlist for 2012 are Australia, Brazil and Japan, all of which suffered devastating natural catastrophes over the last 12 months, said Mark Walsh, portfolio director, Arabian Travel Market – Reed Travel Exhibitions. The chosen destination will be awarded a marketing opportunity in the shape of free exhibition space to the value of $10,000.
The 2012 nominees have had to deal with the on-going social and economic consequences of floods, earthquakes or mudslides in the past year:
Australia recovering from the aftermath of a series of devastating floods that began in late 2010 and continued into Q1 2011, with Queensland, and its capital Brisbane, worst affected. In the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, a series of floods and mudslides in January 2011 caused significant loss of life and livelihood across the mountain province of Região Serrana, located just 100 kms away from the country’s 2016 Olympic city site.
In Japan, the March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami over 125,000 homes and businesses and three nuclear reactor meltdowns.