Association of Tour Operators Russia (ATOR) has won a prestigious World Travel Market 2014 World Travel Leaders Award in recognition of its achievements in promoting tourism to the country.
The coveted award was presented today by TourBusiness Publishing House, General Director, Ivan Kalashnikov and collected by ATOR, Executive Director Maya Lomidze at the WTM World Travel Leaders Awards ceremony.
The Awards give WTM’s Official Media Partners – which represent key travel industry media around the world – an excellent platform to congratulate and recognise those companies and individuals that have made significant and groundbreaking contributions to travel and tourism in their region or sector.
Three nominations from each of WTM’s media partners were judged in September by a panel of three, consisting of an independent body, a representative of WTM and the relevant media partner.
The Association of Tour Operators was set up in 2007 by the country’s leading tour operators and now includes the 50 largest tour operator companies from different regions of Russia.
ATOR members provide more than 60% of the outbound tourist flow and more than 70% of inbound tourist flow as well as about 40% of the domestic tourism.
ATOR represents and defends the interests of its members, provides them with legal and information support, as well as playing an important role in the development of State Tourist Law in Russia to protect clients.
The important role ATOR plays was demonstrated this summer when it provided assistance in the repatriation of thousands of Russian tourists who were stranded after their tour operators ceased trading.
Reed Travel Exhibitions, Senior Director, World Travel Market, Simon Press said: “Russia has grown from being a very mina player to one of the most important inbound market for Europe, whilst ATOR has only been in existence for seven years the members it represents have achieved a for nominal amount in the last 25 years and has been of the greatest transformations in many years.”
Every year, World Travel Leaders Awards are presented at WTM. The full list of 2014 winners is:
Brazil: Eduardo Nascimento, President of Nascimento Turismo Operadora
China: James Liang, Chairman and CEO of Ctrip.com
India: Jehangir Katgara, Chairman & Managing Director of TBI Trail Blazer Tours India Private Limited
Italy: Venetian Villas
Portugal: André Jordan, Founder of the André Jordan Group
Russia: Association of Tour Operators
Spain: Turespaña
Travolution/technology: David Speakman, Chairman, Travel Counsellors
UK: EasyJet
Middle East: The Gulf Hotel Bahrain
USA: Roger Dow, CEO, US Travel
Canada: Air Canada
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About World Travel Market
World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
More than 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL – London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM.
WTM, now in its 35th year, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals.
WTM 2013 generated more than £2 billion of travel industry contracts, revealed independent research by Fusion Communications.
WTM is owned by the world’s leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which organises a other portfolio’s of travel industry events including IBTM Events, the world’s leading showcases for the meetings and events industry and International Luxury Travel Market events.
In 2013, RE held more than 500 events in 40 countries bringing together more than six million people from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.
Reed Exhibitions
Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) is the world’s leading provider of exhibitions in the travel and tourism industry, with a wide-ranging portfolio of 21 international events in 14 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa.
Its market-leading, business-to-business events cover all elements of travel and tourism, including leisure travel, luxury travel, meetings, events, incentives and business travel, as well as golf, ski and spa travel.
RTE is part of Reed Exhibitions.
www.reedtravelexhibitions.com