Bangkok (Thailand) – February 10, 2020 (travelindex.com) – From close to 1,000 submissions, ten winners were chosen by a panel of judges and the public to receive the Asia Destination Film Awards 2020 in the categories Tourism Boards, Travel Industry, Filmmakers, User-generated Content, and Sustainable Travel. Closing the Asia Destination Film Forum on 30 January 2020, the Asia Destination Film Awards were presented to ten winners from close to 1,000 submissions in the categories Tourism Boards, Travel Industry, Filmmakers, User-generated Content, and Sustainable Travel. After shortlisting 200 semi-finalists and 34 finalists, a jury of filmmakers, tourism professionals, and media determined the best submissions in each category. Also, over 7,000 votes from the public decided the public choice awards.
Mr. Jens Thraenhart, Founder of the Asia Destination Film Forum and Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office said that “the impact of visual storytelling, be it through feature films or online content, can be observed in decision making of tourists. Destinations can inspire travelers to explore new experiences through film and human impact stories. Movies, such as “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider”, “The Beach”, and “Lost in Thailand” are only some of the high impact examples. Other films, from destination videos to films by travel companies, bloggers, or regular travelers, also engage audiences and inspire them to travel, as well as drive sustainable tourism. We want to recognize this through our festival and awards and also put a focus on challenges filmmakers and destinations are facing and how they can achieve sustainability”.
All the winners of the 2020 Asia Destination Film Awards are listed below.
The Asia Destination Film Awards are part of the Asia Destination Film Forum, which took part in Bangkok on 30 January 2020. They included live public voting as well as acrobatic performances and Mongolian wrestlers, supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism Mongolia, Asset World Corporation, ThaiBev, HMD Asia, Cambodian Living Arts, and MIAT Mongolian Airlines. Some of the winning films of the Asia Destination Film Awards will be highlighted during the 4th Mini Mekong Tourism Forum at ITB Berlin in Germany on March 4th, 2020, at 11 am, as well as during the 2020 Mekong Tourism Forum in Bagan, Myanmar on April 28-29.
The 2021 edition of the Asia Destination Film Awards will be open for submissions by tourism boards, travel companies, filmmakers, students, and travelers from 15 February 2020 to 15 October 2020. The 3rd Asia Destination Film Forum is scheduled to take place on 25 February 2021, and bids for destination partner and host destination are being accepted.
About the Asia Destination Film Forum
The Asia Destination Film Forum is celebrating tourism marketing and sustainability via inspiring visual storytelling.
Since 2018, the Asia Destination Film Forum brings together the travel & tourism industry and filmmakers from motion pictures to video content creators to foster collaboration in leveraging films and drive sustainable tourism. The forum includes conferences, workshops, seminars, annual awards, and an online platform.
The Asia Destination Film Forum is produced by United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Affiliate Member Chameleon Strategies, who is supporting destinations and brands with sustainable strategies including how to use visual storytelling to engage travelers and businesses.
More information is available at www.Destinationfilmforum.com
The winners of the 2020 Asia Destination Film Awards are:
| Award | Winner | Film |
| Tourism Board Category | ||
| Winner | Tourism Malaysia | “AMAZING” |
| Runner-up | Ministry of Tourism, Government of India | “Incredible India – Director’s Cut – Travel|CNN” |
| Winner Public Choice | Singapore Tourism Board | “Where Passion is Made Possible” |
| Runner-up Public Choice | Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia | “Komodo National Park and Alor: The Miracle of Living” |
| Travel Industry Category | ||
| Winner | Shinta Mani Wild, Cambodia | “Shinta Mani Wild” |
| Runner-up | Rosewood Luang Prabang, Laos | “Rosewood Luang Prabang” |
| Winner Public Choice | Vietnam Airlines | “Vietnam Airlines Safety Video” |
| Runner-up Public Choice | Cardamom Tented Camp, Cambodia | “Cardmom Tented Camp” |
| Filmmakers Category | ||
| Winner | GLP Films | “Raja Ampat: The Last Paradise” Indonesia |
| Runner-up | Ms. Sarah Lam | “Becoming Thai Chinese”, Thailand |
| Winner Public Choice | GlobalGaz and Manana Films | “Hit the Road: India” |
| Runner-up Public Choice | Mr. Abhimanyu Kukreja | “Rockumentary Evolution of Indian Rock” |
| User-generated Content Category | ||
| Winner | Mr. Gregory Tarasov | “The Road Story Vietnam” |
| Runner-up | Mr. Sebastian Linde | “Loving Lanka”, Sri Lanka |
| Winner Public Choice | Mr. Vincent Urban | “In Japan – 2015” |
| Runner-up Public Choice | Mr. Leonardo Dalessandri | “Watchtower of Turkey” |
| Sustainable Tourism Category | ||
| Winner | Bureau of Tourism Palau | “The Giant – Compulsory Inflight Movie (Palau Pledge)” |
| Runner-up | Department of Tourism Philippines | “Save Our Spots | Small Acts, Big Change” |
| Winner Public Choice | Travel and Tourism Foundation/Travelindex | “A Day In a Buddhist Temple in Luang Prabang Laos” |
| Runner-up Public Choice | Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia | “Sustainable Tourism” |
