A volcano tour guide, an online holiday planner and the
creator of one of New Zealand's biggest New Year events have
been named as finalists for this year's Pacific Asia Travel
Association Young Tourism Entrepreneur Award.
They join 34 businesses and individuals who are finalists in
the Tourism Industry Awards 2010.
Tourism Industry Association chief executive Tim Cossar said
the finalists all demonstrated a real commitment to continual
innovation.
"That is critical in an industry that has to compete for
visitors against much bigger and better resourced
international competitors."
Of the three finalists for the Young Tourism Entrepreneur
Award, two had returned from the UK to start their
businesses, he said.
"The theme of this year's award is innovation, and these
three young entrepreneurs have that in spades."
Director of Rhythm and Vines NZ Hamish Pinkham was the first
finalist for the award, due to his work on the festival which
brought about 20,000 people and millions of dollars into the
Gisborne region each year.
The second finalist for the award was Ben Knill, director of
Beek, an interactive tool allowing people to plan and explore
their prospective holidays online.
Director of Haka Tours in Christchurch Ryan Sanders was the
remaining finalist, for his creation of a business which
offers small group tours throughout New Zealand, including
the Southern Alps and active volcanoes in New Zealand.
PATA NZ Trust chairman Neil Plimmer said recognising and
fostering the up-and-coming leaders of tomorrow was very
important for the industry, which had to compete in a
challenging international environment.
The awards are comprised of a number of categories, including
accommodation, activity and transport.
Finalists were selected by assessors representing a wide
range of industry leaders and specialists.
Winners will be chosen by a panel of expert judges.
Past winners of the awards, which have been held since 1955,
include Air New Zealand Grabaseat, WOMAD and Magic Travellers
Network.
Winners will be announced at an event in Auckland on October
14.
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