Berlin Berlin: The Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) has announced the winners of the prestigious PATWA International Travel Awards 2025 at a glittering awards ceremony held at ITB, Berlin, the world’s largest travel fair. The event was attended by tourism ministers, ambassadors from ten countries, representatives from various hotels, airlines, destinations, industry leaders and international media.
Earlier, the PATWA World Tourism and Aviation Leaders Summit on ‘AI and Sustainable Tourism’ was held. Seven speakers gave stellar presentations at the summit, including Dr. Istvan Ujhely, Minister of Tourism from St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Nepal, South Africa and UN Tourism Ambassador to the European Union, Dr. Alain St. Ange, former Minister of Tourism of Seychelles and presidential candidate, and Harry Theoharis, former Minister of Tourism of Greece and front-runner for the post of Secretary-General of UN Tourism. The speakers emphasized the role of AI in making tourism sustainable.
Yatan Ahluwalia, Secretary General of PATWA, opened the summit saying, “AI-driven insights have the power to pave the way for a greener tomorrow and transform tourism into a force for sustainability.”
PATWA International Travel Awards
The PATWA International Travel Awards are independently established and are now in their 25th year. They have a strict selection and nomination process and have earned a reputation as the travel, tourism, aviation and hospitality industry’s first and foremost awards.
The awards recognise governments, organisations, brands, ministers and individuals who have achieved excellence in promoting tourism. This includes airlines, hotels, travel agencies, tour operators, destinations, government bodies, ministries of tourism and other service providers directly or indirectly involved with the trade.
Quotes on the Awards
Yatan Ahluwalia, Secretary General “This year the jury’s focus has been on the Caribbean region in addition to South America, Europe and India. Sustainability was a key factor for our selection”.
Pulkit Sharma, Director Operations and Features Editor “In addition to recognizing destinations, hotels, airlines, organizations and individuals, our Excellence in Governance category included awards for 9 Tourism Ministers from around the world who have made an impact with their policies and governance.”
