WHILE the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has effectively limited the conduct of sporting activities in the country, the people behind the annual Philippine Sports Tourism Awards (PSTA) still opened the nominations for this year’s edition of the event with the end view of pushing for the sector’s recovery.
Organized by Cebu-based Selrahco Management and Consultancy Services, and supported by the Department of Tourism and the Philippine Sports Commission, the Awards will honor sports groups, private entities and government agencies based on events organized or hosted in 2019.
The only one of its kind in the country, PSTA encourages professionalism in the planning and management of sporting events to help promote tourism.
Categories open for nominations are Sports Tourism Destination of the Year, Sports Tourism Organizer (private and government), Sports Tourism Event (domestic and international), Sports Tourism Sport Association, Sports Tourism Destination Marketing, Sports Tourism Hotel, Sports Tourism Event Sponsorship, Sports Tourism Charity Event, Sports Tourism Airline, Sports Tour Operator, Adventure Event, Sports Venue, Sports MICE Event, and Sports Media Coverage.
Two special awards will also be given to prominent sports personalities in the private and government sector.
PSTA founder and president Charles Lim said that with the opening of the nominations for the Awards they hope sports and sports tourism stakeholders will be inspired to do whatever they can in pushing for gradual recovery of the sector from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previous winners in the PSTA awards include Ironman 70.3, Sunrise Events, Philippine Football Association, Tabuelan 111, SunPiology, the Philippine Inter-Island Sailing Federation, Clark Development Corp., Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Province of Cebu, City of Dumaguete and the Municipality of Lubao (Pampanga).
Also winning awards are Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Resorts World Manila, Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, and the Automobile Association Philippines.
For more information on the PSTA nominations, e-mail gabe.selrahco@gmail.com or contact 0906-4067051 or 0949-4628108. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
