Bangkok (Thailand) – January 28, 2020 (travelindex.com) – With close to 1,000 submissions and a total of 340 hours of playtime, the Asia Destination Film Awards received much attention from international filmmakers, tourism boards, travel companies, and content creators. Thirty-four finalists in the categories Tourism Boards, Travel Industry, Filmmakers, User-generated Content, and Sustainable Travel were shortlisted, and the final winners in each category are determined by a panel of judges as well as by public vote on www.destinationfilmforum.com/asia-destination-film-awards/. Voting will be open until 29 January 2020.
To highlight the role of visual content in destination marketing and sustainability, the 2nd Asia Destination Film Forum and Awards will take place in Bangkok on 30 January 2020 under the co-chairmanship of H.E. Mr. Itthipol Khunpluem, Minister of Culture, Thailand, and Dr. Sorajak Kasemsuwan, Secretary General of the National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Associations, Thailand. An impressive line-up of speakers from Thai filmmakers such as Mr. Ekachai Uekrongtham (“The Stranded” – Netflix) and Mr. Tom Waller (“The Cave”) to producers of Hollywood movies such as Mr. Nicholas Simon (“Avengers: Endgame”, “Kong: Skull Island”), and Mr. Nick Ray from Cambodian film production company Hanuman Films (“The Last Reel”) will present on the importance of locations for filming and the role of Asian destinations.
Presenters from tourism boards, such as Mr. Raymond Kim (Busan, South Korea), Mr. Tanes Petsuwan (Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, Tourism Authority of Thailand), Mr. Jens Thraenhart (Executive Director, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office), Mr. Joe Choo (Area Director Thailand, Singapore Tourism Board), and Ms. Bayasgalan Saranjav (Director General Department of Tourism Policy Coordination, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Mongolia) will look into the role of destinations in movie tourism. In addition to the public sector, the forum will also look into how screen tourism can benefit the private sector, by Mr. Deepak Ohri, CEO Lebua Hotels & Resorts (“The Hangover Part II”), as well as how bloggers can impact tourism through visual content.
The aspect of sustainability of film tourism is analyzed by a panel of experts, including Mr. Gabriel Kuperman (Executive Producer, Mekong 2030), Mr. Roi Ariel (General Manager, GSTC), Mr. Graham Harper (Director, PATA, Sustainability and Social Responsibility), Mr. Tuan Pham (Head of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Agoda), and Ms. Janet Salem (Programme Manager, Sustainable Consumption and Production, United National Environment Programme (UNEP).
The Asia Destination Film Awards will take place after the Asia Destination Film Forum and will be followed by the Film Festival BBQ Party, sponsored by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Mongolia, featuring authentic Mongolian BBQ, cultural performances, and films.
More information about the event and tickets are available on
Films shortlisted to the Asia Destination Film Awards 2020
| Film Name | Producer | Destination Featured |
| Tourism Board Category | ||
| ท่องเที่ยววิถีไทย เก๋ไก๋ไม่เหมือนใคร (Discover Thainess) – version 2 นาที | Tourism Authority of Thailand | Thailand |
| Komodo National Park and Alor: The Miracles of Living | Ministry of Tourism of Republic of Indonesia | Indonesia |
| Malaysia “Amazing” | Tourism Malaysia | Malaysia |
| Enjoy my Japan | Broaden your world| JNTO | Japan National Tourism Organization(JNTO) | Japan |
| Be Part of the Fun #ItsMoreFunInThePhilippines | Department of Tourism Philippines | Philippines |
| Incredible India – Director’s Cut – Travel | CNN | Ministry of Tourism, Government of India | India |
| Singapore – Where Passion is Made Possible | Singapore Tourism Board | Singapore |
| Filmmaker Category | ||
| Hit the Road: India | Manana Films, UK | India |
| Becoming Thai Chinese | Sarah Lam, Hong Kong | Thailand |
| The State of Skateboarding in Mongolia | Jefferson Elliott, USA | Mongolia |
| Rockumentary: Evolution of Indian Rock | Abhimanyu Kukreja, India | India |
| The Magic of Hong Kong | Timelab Pro, Russia | Hong Kong |
| The Kingdom of the Lion Tailed Macaque – A Wildlife Documentary by Poorna Kedar | Poorna Kedar, India | India |
| Raja Ampat: The Last Paradise | GLP Films, USA | Indonesia |
| Branches and Brushes | Komeil Soheili, Iran | Korea |
| Travel Industry Category | ||
| Singapore Airlines: New In-flight Safety Video | Singapore Airlines | Singapore |
| Shinta Mani Wild | Shinta Mani Wild | Cambodia |
| InterContinental Danang – Our Resort Concierge ‘Thinks Beyond’ | InterContinental Danang | Vietnam |
| Vietnam Airlines Safety Video | Vietnam Airlines | Vietnam |
| Singapore In 3 Minutes | TripZilla | Singapore |
| Cardamom Tented Camp | Cardamom Tented Camp | Cambodia |
| Rosewood Luang Prabang | Rosewood Luang Prabang | Laos |
| User-generated Content Category | ||
| Watchtower of Turkey | Leonardo Dalessandri, Italy | Turkey |
| Phatthalung: Thailand’s Hidden Gems | Art Thomya, Thailand | Thailand |
| In Japan | Vincent Urban, USA | Japan |
| Loving Lanka | Sebastian Linda, Germany | Sri Lanka |
| Thailand | Georgy Tarasov, Russia | Thailand |
| The road story Vietnam | Georgy Tarasov, Russia | Vietnam |
| Tokyo Roar | Brandon Li | Japan |
| Sustainable Travel Category | ||
| The Giant | Palau Visitors Authority | Palau |
| Save Our Spots | Department of Tourism Philippines | Philippines |
| The Tourism Decade – Women Rafters | Department of Tourism Philippines | Philippines |
| Sustainable Tourism | Ministry of Tourism of Republic of Indonesia | Indonesia |
| A Day In A Buddhist Temple | Travel and Tourism Foundation and Travelindex | Laos |
