MOSCOW, (PNA/Itar-Tass) — Russian tourism’s best workers, chosen by television viewers and internet users, will be honoured in a competition promoting excellence and achievement in the travel business. It’s an initiative of the Russian TV channel Moya Planeta (My Planet) and will reach its climax at a ceremony in Moscow on Nov 14.
“The award has become an important and promising event in the field of tourism,” says Sergey Koshlyakov, contest organiser and Moya Planeta director general.
“It aims to open up possibilities for new businesses, generate new ideas and bring recognition to new specialists,” he told a news conference to brief journalists on competition details.
Channel director Elena Podkovyrina announced that 225 applicants had entered the competition’s four categories this year, compared to 150 in 2012.
The first category will name the year’s best travel programme, travel blog and travel internet resource.
A second group will choose top services for searching and booking air and other travel tickets and for booking hotels and apartments
“Best airlines, most interesting projects in environmental tourism and the best Russian tourist destination” will also receive awards, Podkovyrina said, adding a category for travel photographs, videos and blogs.
There’s also what the organizers call the “Thing of the Year”, designed to identify something absolutely necessary while travelling, the director told reporters.
The top prize is a metal statuette made by Russian artist Pavel Solovyev.
Other awards will be presented by Moya Planeta, the Russian Geographical Society and the Russian geographic magazine “Vokrug Sveta” (Around the World).