TAT photographs on the theme of “A Beautiful Bond” wins PATA Gold Award 2020

Bangkok, 25 September, 2020 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has won a PATA Gold Award for a series of travel photographs, which sensitively capture the “Beautiful Bond” between the Thai people and elephants, the national animal of the kingdom.

Conferred in the Marketing Awards category, it was one of five PATA Gold awards received by Thai entities this year. They were presented on 24 September, 2020, as part of the Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020.

Under the theme of “A Beautiful Bond”, the photographs of Ban Nong Bua Elephant Village in Surin Province were taken by Ms. Daraporn Areesangawong and curated by the TAT Planning and Media Production Division to reflect the beautiful and deep historic bonds between the Thai people and pachyderms.

This year, the PATA Gold Awards contest received 121 submissions from 62 agencies, companies, and individuals worldwide. The Awards have been supported and sponsored by the Macao Government Tourist Office (MGTO) for the last 25 years.

Another Gold Award was won by Mr. John Borthwick, an Australian freelance travel journalist and photographer, for Best Destination Story for his article on the “Thai Left Bank”, which highlighted the cultural and culinary attractions of Thon Buri. The article appeared in The West Australian, 7 March, 2019. His visit to Thailand was sponsored by the TAT Sydney Office.

The  four other Thai Gold Award winners were: 

1. Grand Title Winner in Sustainability, YAANA Ventures, Thailand, for the Anurak Community Lodge.
2. Destination Article, Thai Left Bank, Mr. John Borthwick, Australia. 
3. Women Empowerment Initiative, Supporting and Promoting Women’s Career Development of Tourism Products of the “Nan-Ner-Jaow” Brand
   Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), Thailand.
4. Youth Empowerment Initiative, DASTA NAN Youth Club (DNYC)
   Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), Thailand.