Nominations for the annual South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) has been opened.
In a statement, SATA secretariat said Friday that nominations are welcome for 34 major categories in 10 segments till May 30 via regional focal points or direct to nominee@satravelawards.com. The nomination kit can be downloaded from its website, it added.
The major categories in SATA 2017 include:
- Leading guesthouse/tourist inns
- Leading boutique hotel
- Leading beaching hotel/resort
- Most romantic hotel/resort
- Leading all-inclusive hotel/resort
- Leading designer hotel/resort
- Leading F&B hotel/resort
- Leading luxury hotel/resort
- Leading family hotel/resort
- Leading eco hotel/resort
- Leading meeting & conference hotel/resort
- Leading dive hotel/resort
- Leading dive centre
- Leading surf hotel/resort
- Leading wildlife hotel/resort
- Leading adventure hotel/resort
- Leading adventure sports provider
- Leading activity/watersports centre
- Leading heritage hotel/palace
- Leading business hotel
- Leading city hotel
- Leading wellness & spa hotel/resort
- Leading wellness & spa brand
- Leading CSR programme
- Leading tour operator
- Leading travel agent
- Leading PSA/GSA service provider
- Leading airport hotel
- Leading tourist transport provider (land/sea)
- Leading domestic transport provider (air)
- Leading meeting & convention centre
- Leading houseboat & houseboat brand
- Leading liveaboard & liveaboard brand
- Leading travel technology
Launched last year, SATA has been endorsed by regional tourism authorities and organisations, including the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Sri Lanka (FCCISL), Colombo Chamber of Commerce (CCC), Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation (MMPRC), Confederation of Associated Tour Operators (India), Association of Travel Agents (ATA) Maldives, Association of Travel and Tour Operators India (ATTOI), Association of Professionals in Tourism (APT, India), Kerala Hotel General Managers Club (KHGMC), Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and Liveaboard Association of Maldives (LAM).
SATA is the first ever regional travel awards endorsed by multi national associations, providing the tourism sector of the South Asian Region with recognition towards their facilities and service excellence. It aims to encourage and raise service standards in the region’s tourism industry.
The awards’ first edition, which wrapped up with a gala ceremony at the iconic Mount Lavinia Hotel in Sri Lanka, saw an overwhelming support with more than 260 nominations. Major travel media organisations, including Maldives Insider, Asian Traveller, Asian Geographic, Asian Diver and Floating Asia were appointed media partners of SATA 2016.
