Kerala tourism bags PATA awards

Kerala Tourism has bagged two honours at the Pacific Asia Travel Association Awards foR This year.
The state tourism department's 'Responsible Tourism' initiative in Kumarakom and its online newsletter have won the PATA Gold awards, said an official statement quoting the Macau Government Tourism Office, which supports and sponsors the awards.
Kumarakom Responsible Tourism Project won the award 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.
There are 20 winners of the PATA Awards this year, selected from 181 entries from 66 organisations and individuals worldwide.

"This is a remarkable achievement for Kerala. This honourwill inspire us to continue our efforts in rural tourism development and also taking the brand of Kerala far and wide," state Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar said.
"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," he said.
The awards will be presented on September 19 at the Diamond Island City Hall in Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.