Nelson Mandela Bay wins Swiss award

NELSON Mandela Bay is the proud recipient of this year’s Swiss Tourism Awards 2011. Mandlakazi Skefile, Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism (NMBT) chief executive travelled to  the city of Lugano to receive the award during the Swiss International Holiday Exhibition which ran from October 30 to November 1, 2011.

The aim of this prestigious annual award is to promote high quality tourism and encourage competitiveness and excellence in standards of service. Benedetta Canossi of the Swiss Tourism Awards, said after an accurate evaluation, the Scientific Committee of the Swiss Tourism Awards selected Nelson Mandela Bay for the category Wellness Paradise, and granted the award “An exciting African experience for mind, spirit and body”.

 “Known as the ‘Friendly City’ or the ‘Watersports capital of Africa’, Nelson Mandela Bay offers excellent and varied sporting facilities and the city hosts numerous exciting sports events all year round. The many different sport activities such as squash, volleyball, tennis, cricket, motor-racing, horse-racing, golf and many others, make it a real paradise for sport lovers and healthy people,” said Canossi.

“Moreover, the city offers a lot to manage stress, to practice yoga, meditation, holistic therapies and these are only some of the reasons that have led us to assign this prestigious recognition to Nelson Mandela Bay.”

Skefile was “honoured and incredibly excited by the award and what it means to Nelson Mandela Bay.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the destination. When the Swiss embassy selects these awards they look at their consumer insights and then award the destination based on their good performance. This is an invaluable recognition that the Swiss market holds us in high esteem,” said Skefile.

The announcement and the handing over of the award was part of a wide and international context in which tourism becomes the protagonist of a whole week of events held in the City of Lugano, with the main event being the Swiss International Holiday Exhibition, the most prestigious tourism fair in Switzerland. This is accompanied by minor events, conferences, meetings, gala dinners involving tour operators, journalists, visitors and exhibitors.

“The Swiss Tourism Awards is an important international recognition that aims at underlining the tourism potentialities of a particular destination. The prize offers the possibility of approaching a florid and rich market with a successful and targeted communication action aimed at increasing the visibility and the attractiveness of a destination,” said Canossi.

The awards, which are in the form of silver plates, are handed over during a gala evening which takes place on the shores of the Lake Lugano, and is attended by the city’s high profile persons.

The awards are considered an official recognition to the awarded destinations an important promotional show-window on the Swiss, Italian and international territory.

“Those who receive the award will have a chance to benefit 360 degrees promotional coverage,” said a member of the committee.