Batumi Wins Prestigious Travel Award
On Saturday, June 8, the 2019 World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony was held in Madeira, Portugal. Taking home the coveted award for ‘Europe’s Leading Emerging Tourism Destination’ was Georgia’s own Black Sea resort city, Batumi. Hundreds of representatives of leading travel industry institutions from across Europe attended the ceremony.
Other nominees for the award were Sofia, Bulgaria, Matera, Italy, Baku, Azerbaijan, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Derry, Northern Ireland, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kutna Hora, Czech Republic.
“Being nominated in this category is extremely important for us,” said Sulkhan Glonti, Chairman of the Ajara Department of Tourism, upon learning of the nomination in March. “Recognition by such a prestigious and prominent organization will be positively reflected on the promotion of our region and increase its popularity on the international arena."
“We have spent a lot of time collaborating with international media platforms in recent years, including direct commercials, as well as press tours,” Glonti continued. "More than 1000 journalists and tourist agencies were hosted in 2017-2018 by our region, which had reciprocal fruitful outcomes in terms of elevation of the number of travelers, as well as improving awareness in the international respect. Our campaign GoBatumi was part of our goal to win the award," he added.
“In order to overcome the challenges faced by our country and region, efficient communication and campaigns on the international market are vital...Tourism is a business with strong competition, and we are clearly aware of the importance of each success,” said Glonti in March.
“I congratulate each resident of Batumi on winning this important award. This is yet another new stage for our city, which will contribute to economic development and to creating a better future for each Georgian family,” said Tornike Rizhvadze, Chairman of the Government of Ajara, who personally attended the ceremony in Madeira.
Other winners at this year’s European Gala include: St. Petersburg, Russia, voted ‘Europe’s Leading City Destination.’ Portugal was voted ‘Europe’s Leading Destination,’ and Madrid, ‘Europe’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination.’ The World Tourism Awards celebrated Batumi’s win, noting it was aided by “the captivating mix of Belle Époque meets contemporary splendor.”
The 2019 World Travel Awards World Tour includes regional ceremonies in Montego Bay, Jamaica, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Mauritius, La Paz, Bolivia, and Phu Quoc, Vietnam. The winners in each regional category will continue to the Grand Final, which will be held in Muscat, Oman.
The World Travel Awards has been operating since 1993. In its own words, the organization’s mission is “to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.”
The winners of the World Travel Awards are determined by online public voting.
By Samantha Guthrie
Image source: Batumi City Hall