Tourism campaigns in line to win an honour in the inaugural International Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM, say that being shortlisted is already a great achievement.

Seven candidates are on the shortlist for the Regional/City Campaign category, which is sponsored by the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), the world’s first international tourism organisation focusing on cities.

The winners will be announced to an audience of more than 500 leading industry figures during a prestigious awards ceremony at London’s Grade I-listed Tobacco Dock, not far from WTM London’s ExCeL venue (Tuesday 6 November).

• Zagreb’s tourist board has been shortlisted for ‘Advent in Zagreb’, which has become the most important event in the Croatian capital in just two years.It boosted arrivals and overnight stays by foreign visitors by more than 20%, and has transformed Zagreb into a year-round destination, prompting similar activities by other Croatian cities.Martina Bienenfeld, Chief Executive at Zagreb Tourist Board, said: “Zagreb Tourist Board truly appreciates being shortlisted in the Best Regional/City Campaign at the International Travel & Tourism Awards.
  “We consider this to already be a great achievement and recognition of our efforts to promote Advent in Zagreb as the most complex and popular event in Croatia’s capital.
  “Congratulations to all the other candidates as well and we’re looking forward to the award ceremony in November.”
• A series of ‘After Rain’ advertisements by DEC BBDO, on behalf of Canary Islands Tourism, has been shortlisted.The ads transformed puddles in London into “surprising” micro-ads that showed different, better ways of getting wet, to promote the Canary Islands.A DEC BBDO spokesperson said: “For the team agency and tourism of Canary Islands, it is very important and an honour to be shortlisted in the first ITTA awards.”
• Following the terrorist attack in May 2017, Marketing Manchester ran a ‘Come Together’ campaign by Marketing Manchester to ensure that the region’s visitor economy recovered.During the first phase of the campaign, it generated an additional £8.7 million for the visitor economy.Sheona Southern, Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to receive two shortlisted entries in the International Travel & Tourism Awards for our campaigns promoting Greater Manchester on the world stage [the other category is PR Campaign].
  “The Come Together campaign was an invitation for tourists to experience the spirit and diversity that makes Manchester great.
  “Reaching more than 20 million potential visitors in our target markets of the UK and European destinations including Italy, Germany and Norway, the campaign highlighted the city as a welcoming, tolerant destination, where love wins.”
• Live Inspired by Kerala Tourism helped boost visitor numbers to the Kochi Muziris Biennale, an arts and culture festival which is held every two years.The number of domestic travellers rose by more than 7%, while international numbers increased by almost 3.5%.A spokesman for Kerala Tourism said the campaign “inspired” local people and prompted more enthusiastic participation in the 2018 event.
• VisitFlanders was shortlisted for its ‘Mud Soldier” initiative, which commemorated the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele.The ‘Mud Soldier’ was a mud and sand sculpture on Trafalgar Square that was worn away by water in four days, resulting in a huge exposure in traditional and social media.Lea Winkeler, Project Manager for The Great War Centenary at VisitFlanders, said: “It was not only extraordinarily successful in terms of media response or social media reach. It was also born through intense teamwork between our agency, our office in London and our headquarters, and last but not least the Westminster City Council.
  “The most unforgettable experience no doubt was the reactions of the passers-by at Trafalgar Square, telling us about their family members who fought in Flanders Fields, and coming back to see how the Mud Soldier slowly dissolved.
  “There are a lot of marketing and creative awards, but to be nominated by WTM is quite different: your project stands before your peers – the ones who, from experience, really know what is relevant in travel and tourism.
  “To be shortlisted already feels as a big compliment – and makes us dream of winning the award during WTM, the same environment where in 2013 we kicked off our WWI centenary campaign!”
• Tourism Toronto was shortlisted for ‘The Views are Different Here’ campaign, which greatly exceeded its objectives to differentiate Toronto from other cities, and promote the ‘Canada’s Downtown’ brand.In 2017, overall visitation to Toronto increased by 3.6% and visitation from the US rose by 4.8%, resulting in a record total of 43.7 million visitors.Johanne Bélanger, President and Chief Executive of Tourism Toronto, commented: “Toronto is a city known for its diversity, progressiveness and sense of welcome, and that’s the energy we wanted to showcase when we launched ‘The Views Are Different Here’ campaign.
  “Views tells the Toronto story – letting the world know that this is a city where you can truly be yourself and let your guard down.
  “We’re thrilled to be shortlisted for the International Travel & Tourism Awards, and we’re thrilled to show off the swagger you’ll find in Toronto – Canada’s Downtown.”
• Visit Greenwich is on the shortlist thanks to its successful year-long digital marketing campaign with Visit London.The destination management organisation said it is “an excellent best-practice example of how DMOs and the public/private sector can work together to deliver a large-scale campaign and achieve better results than they would working on their own”.
  Barrie Kelly, Visit Greenwich Chief Executive, said: “We’re very pleased we’ve been shortlisted for this award and that the amazing success of our campaign is being recognised.
  “We have had huge private sector buy-in over the last few years for this campaign.
  “The private sector is always keen to invest in activities that demonstrably prove a large return on investment.”

The awards are co-chaired by Marcelo Risi, UNWTO Chief of Communications, and Nick Pilbeam, Reed Travel Exhibitions Director. Expert judges are drawn from top industry organisations including London & Partners, Euromonitor International, public relations body PRCA, Global Wellness Institute, Association of Southern African Travel Agents, and LGBT consultancy Out Now.