WiT Collaborates with ATTIA to Launch Travel Changemakers Awards

WiT (Web in Travel), Asia Pacific's leading travel tech news and events platform, will launch an awards series, the Travel Changemakers Awards, at its signature conference in Singapore this year. The Awards aim to recognise travel innovators that have used technology to build back better, post-pandemic. Award winners will be announced at WiT Singapore, 2-4 Oct 2023.

The Travel Changemakers Awards are supported by ATTIA (Asia Travel and Technology Industry Association), an association which represents companies that operate in the travel and tourism sector in Asia Pacific and have technology and innovation at their core. Its members include Agoda, Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Amadeus, Travelport and Skyscanner.

About the Awards

Travel Changemakers Awards recognises innovators in Asia Pacific who have seized the opportunity to introduce new initiatives and programmes to transform not only their organisation but also the industry, with the imaginative and clever use of technology at the heart of the change.

There are five Awards categories:

• Environmental Awareness & Action: Spreading the message of environmental awareness through a specific programme/activity
• Local Community Engagement: Deepening engagement with local communities through a specific programme/activity
• Hidden Gems: Uncovering hidden gems in a destination through a specific programme/activity
• Regenerative Tourism: Repurposing of assets or regenerating a destination through a specific programme/activity
• Diversity & Inclusion: Empowering under-represented segments of the population through a specific programme/activity

The Awards are open to nominations by all in the travel industry, be it a tourism board, NGO, NPO (not-for-profit), social enterprise, public sector enterprise or private sector organization. The submission should describe programmes and activities that were launched between May 2020 and December 2022.

A panel of experts, curated by WiT and ATTIA, will form the jury and will be announced at a later date. The deadline for entries is July 31, 2023.

Conceiving the Awards

"Since the reopening of travel in Asia Pacific, there have been lots of calls made in the travel industry to build back better, to take the lessons thrown at the industry by the Covid-19 pandemic, to plan and create a better future," said Yeoh Siew Hoon, Founder, WiT.

"We felt it was time to honour those who actually did it – who turned ideas into action and initiated programmes to build back better.

"The idea for the awards also came from the Global Travel Tech Thinktank, held at WiT Singapore last year, when leaders gathered to brainstorm for a better future for travel. It was clear that respect for the environment, meaningful engagement with local communities, unearthing hidden gems for travellers to discover, repurposing of assets rather than building new as well as diversity and inclusion were critical to building back better."

Commented Chis Kerin, Managing Director – ATTIA, "Our focus within ATTIA is to establish and promote productive relationships across the travel tech industry. Having the opportunity to work with WiT and to support the Travel Changemakers Awards is a perfect way for us to help showcase the positive and productive initiatives that have developed across the industry from various organisations in a post pandemic environment.

"ATTIA hopes that the sharing of ideas, creation of relationships and productive discussions will not only accelerate the recovery of the industry, but also drive further change to improve our industry as a whole in each of the awards category areas. These categories were specifically chosen as fundamental areas that could apply to most organisations in the travel tech industry and we are genuinely excited to see how creative, impactful and meaningful these initiatives are that our industry has to offer.

"Something like the Travel Changemakers Awards takes a lot of planning, time and effort to be executed and ATTIA are very excited and proud to be working with WiT for such an initiative in our industry. The WiT conferences are always at the top of the priority list for most organisations in the travel tech industry each year and to have an opportunity to formally recognise some of the great contributions made within the industry is long overdue."