Web Awards ASIAPAC

The Vision

Our vision for these awards is to find and reward websites, social media and/or mobile deployments for Asia Pacific travel businesses and destinations that are beacons to the rest of the industry in terms of their use of their innovative approach to design, graphics,videos, copywriting, and use online technology, to communicate effectively what the business is all about; engaging the visitor; providing visitors to memorable experience; ease of use and navigation; etc.

Some examples of what we are looking for:

Small, friendly hotel
If, for example, you are a small hotel that focuses on great service and a personalised approach, we want to see a graphic and copy concept that communicates personal service, the individuality of the property, and the appeal of the size of the hotel, etc.

Tourist board
If, for example, you are tourist board for a country or a region, we want to see a graphic and copy concept that communicates the appeal and the USP of that country or region. If your USP is about the friendly locals, then we want to see a graphic and copy concept that is full of friendly, smiley locals. If the USP is about the vast open spaces and the peace and tranquillity of the region, we want to see a graphic and copy concept that communicates how quiet, relaxed and peaceful that country or region is.

Why is this important?
We firmly believe that there are some incredible travel opportunities on offer for the Asian consumer and travel trade and, by helping and encouraging the industry to improve their web, social and mobile. In this manner, we know that we will all be able to create more effective online offerings, which means more business for everyone.

Submitting an entry:
When submitting your nomination, it is very important to tell us a little about the business itself and why you feel that the graphic and copy concept for the website communicates the core USPs. This is an important element of what we are looking for in selection of the shortlist entries, from which TravelMole readers will vote for the final winner.

Together we can all help promote online tourism more effectively.

Judging Criteria

Excellence in Online Travel

The 10th TravelMole Asia Pacific Awards 2017 is being held in association with ITB Asia. We have changed the way the awards are judged to allow TravelMole readers to vote for the winner from the shortlist selected by panel of expert judges, making them more valuable for travel companies and the travel industry.

Focusing on effective online engagement, not businesses
The TravelMole Asia Pacific Awards 2017, in association with ITB Asia, will focus not on the travel companies but on the websites, social media, mobile and technology that represent those businesses. We are looking for what represent the best online practice that demonstrate excellence in content, flow, usability and engagement, and the best examples of strategies and techniques for enhanced marketing and conversion.

Towards a strategy of more successful travel web, social & mobile
Our aim is to use these prestigious awards to reward and promote examples of the best deployments in the Asia Pacific travel industry and to hold them up high as shining examples. In this manner, we strive to help improve web, social and mobile deployments across the industry as a whole, for all of us.

The judging
To help ensure that the TravelMole Asia Pacific Awards 2017, in association with ITB Asia, are judged according to industry best practice, we have enlisted the help of Asia Pacific travel technology guru Clement Wong, Founder and CEO at BeMyGuest.com.sg

Vote to help us all learn and improve
We realise that this is an ambitious objective and we hope that you will rally around this goal and help us identify and reward those travel websites that are truly worth our praise, with your vote.

Sponsor the awards

Sponsor the TravelMole Asia Pacific Awards 2017, in association with ITB Asia Why Sponsor? Your sponsorship of the main award event for the Asia Pacific travel industry, to recognize the best web, social, mobile and travel technology deployments, will receive prominent visibility and recognition to TravelMole's 60,000+ Asia Pacific travel trade subscribers throughout the months for nominations and readers' voting process, at as well as at the 2017 Award Ceremony at ITB Asia, where 10,000 travel industry professional from 110 countries attend Listen to what Agoda Founder and President, Robert Rosenstein, told TravelMole Publisher, what their sponsorship did for them.

TravelMole Made the Difference - Says Agoda Founder...

What's included with sponsorship through the Award cycle period ? Nomination dates: From July 17th, 2017 - September 1st, 2017 Shortlist announced: September 8th, 2017 Voting by TravelMole readers: September 9th, 2017 - October 6th, 2017 Winners announced at ITB Asia: October 26th, 2016 - Awards home page - your company logo - Web page for the Awards Category you sponsor - your company logo, link, and description - 7 eBlasts to TravelMole's 60,000+ subscribes in Asia Pacific, regarding the Award nomination, judges shortlist announcement, voting by readers and winners announcement - your company logo and link - Recognition, as sponsor, in several TravelMole new articles related to the Awards - Award Winner Ceremony at ITB Asia 2017, on October 26th, at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore – your company will be recognized in all the hand out and AV material and your company representative will make the presentations to the winner of the Award category you sponsor, and related photo op. - Recognition, as sponsor, in the TravelMole new article announcing the Award winners - Photo of your company representative at winner presentation on TravelMole.com For further information: Please contact [email protected] for details

Judging Panel

Clement Wong

Clement has worked with the top travel companies in the world - airlines, hotels, online travel agencies, tour operators, car rental companies, helping them with their strategies and market research. He has also advised banks and venture capital firms on their investments in the travel space. He has close ties with the media through industry commentaries, press & TV interviews. He is a regular speaker at travel conferences and judge at travel technology competitions.

Kei Shibata

Kei co-founded and runs Venture Republic Inc., that owns Japan's largest online travel search engine and online travel guide media "Travel.jp". As CEO, he took the company public in 2008 (2177. JASDAQ) after 7 years of operations. He received a BA of Laws from Keio University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He also serves as co-founder of WIT (Web in Travel) Japan, President of Venture Mitakai at Keio University, and Executive Committee Member of Harvard Business School Club of Japan.

Soon Hwa

Soon Hwa currently is the Regional Director – Asia Pacific of Blacklane, a new tech professional chauffeur drive service provider offering rides in over 500 airports in some 250 cities globally. Prior to this, he was Vice President – Asia & Japan of Hertz International. Prior to Hertz, he was Regional Manager SE Asia for Air New Zealand, GM Marketing for Mansfield Travel and Deputy GM of Avis Singapore. Presently serving as Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Singapore Chapter as well as Member of the Industry Council.

Mario Hardy

Mario Hardy was appointed CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) on November 1st, 2014. He is also the founder of Venture Capital firm MAP2 | Ventures. An investment fund with a wide portfolio of technology centric businesses in the field of FinTech, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things and Online Travel Tech. Mario previously worked a total of 26 years in specialised aviation businesses with a focus on data analytics and technology and occupied several leadership roles in Montreal, Vancouver, London, Beijing and Singapore.

Thao Nguyen

Thao is currently Airbnb’s Head of Strategic Partnerships for the Asia Pacific. Prior to Airbnb, Thao served as an American diplomat with the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC, Jakarta, and most recently Beijing. She is a strong advocate for the role of public-private partnerships in creating social impact. Thao holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from George Washington University and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School where she focused on technology policy.