October 18, 2011
Announcing the 2011 Global Youth Travel Award Winners
This year’s World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC), held in Barcelona 20-23 September, played host to the inaugural Global Youth Travel Awards.
The Awards formally recognise outstanding performers in several fields of youth travel and reward those members who contribute so much to our industry and our community.
The Awards are open to members of the World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation. Members were invited to submit entries in the months leading up to the event.
We are very pleased to announce the following winners:
The WYSE Travel Confederation Extraordinary Experience Award
Winner: Michael Teoh and Smaller Earth
This award showcases a young person who had a demonstrably extraordinary overseas experience through one of our member organisations. Examples might include a young person who has volunteered or worked in Africa, climbed the Himalayas, learned an exotic language or engaged in a valuable way with another culture.
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The WYSE Travel Confederation Innovation in Marketing Award
Winner: CIEE’s “2 Months, 35 Countries” campaign
This award honours a demonstrably innovative and successful marketing campaign, online sales initiative or use of technology, which can be inspiring to other youth travel organisations. This might be a clever advertising campaign, an innovative way of engaging with customers, a ground-breaking Facebook campaign or even a successful harnessing of mobile technology.
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The WYSE Volunteer & Travel – Outstanding Volunteer Project Award
Winner: San Juanillo Fisherman’s Association and International Student Volunteers
This award showcases volunteer projects that stand out through key characteristics such as sustainability and responsibility in this growing industry segment. ———————————————————— The WYSTC App Yap Award
Winner: tripwolf The best and brightest Travel Apps were in the running for this award. “App Yap” refers to the chance for the Top 10 vote-getters who are registered for WYSTC to present their respective Apps at the conference for five minutes to fellow delegates and organisations.
————————————————————- The WYSE Work Abroad “Expand Your Horizons” Video Contest Award
Winner: Krupali Patel with Volunteering India
This award honours creative videos showcasing the great impressions, cultural encounters, lessons learned and new experiences that work/volunteer abroad experiences provide.
————————————————————- The STAY WYSE Green Initiative Award
Winner: Sydney Harbour YHA
This award recognises the organisation we feel is doing the most to reduce their environmental impact and make “ green travel” an important part of their operational activities while encouraging others to follow suit.
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The ISTC Skills Exchange Award
Winner: Steve Lowy & umiHotels
The ISTC Skills Exchange brings together an existing STAY WYSE member and a hostel in a country with a less-developed youth travel infrastructure, and this award recognises the individual/organisation that contributes time and effort to the business needs of another organisation. The goal is to help hostels in developing areas around the world improve their businesses in areas such as sales, marketing, branding, strategy and operations, and by extension create more opportunities for youth and student travel.
————————————————————- The STUDY WYSE Outstanding Contribution Award
Winner: Manel Bassols, CETT (Barcelona)
This award recognises an individual and/or organisation that has contributed to the advancement of study abroad programmes and to the development of quality education for young people across the globe.
This year’s World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC), held in Barcelona 20-23 September, played host to the inaugural Global Youth Travel Awards.
The Awards formally recognise outstanding performers in several fields of youth travel and reward those members who contribute so much to the youth travel industry and community.
The Awards are open to members of the World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation. Members were invited to submit entries in the months leading up to the event.
Steve Lowy and umi Hotels were delighted to be recognised for Steve’s work in Cambodia:
The ISTC Skills Exchange Award
The ISTC Skills Exchange brings together an existing STAY WYSE member and a hostel in a country with a less-developed youth travel infrastructure, and this award recognises the individual/organisation that contributes time and effort to the business needs of another organisation. The goal is to help hostels in developing areas around the world improve their businesses in areas such as sales, marketing, branding, strategy and operations, and by extension create more opportunities for youth and student travel.
Other winners were:
The WYSE Travel Confederation Extraordinary Experience Award
Winner: Michael Teoh and Smaller Earth
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The WYSE Travel Confederation Innovation in Marketing Award
Winner: CIEE’s “2 Months, 35 Countries” campaign
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The WYSE Volunteer & Travel – Outstanding Volunteer Project Award
Winner: San Juanillo Fisherman’s Association and International Student Volunteers
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The WYSTC App Yap Award
Winner: tripwolf
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The WYSE Work Abroad “Expand Your Horizons” Video Contest Award
Winner: Krupali Patel with Volunteering India
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The STAY WYSE Green Initiative Award
Winner: Sydney Harbour YHA
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The STUDY WYSE Outstanding Contribution Award
Winner: Manel Bassols, CETT (Barcelona)
More information on each award category can be found here.
