DILI (TOP) – President José Ramos-Horta and U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Tom Daley celebrated World Tourism Day 2022 with the third annual Turizmu Ba Ema Hotu Tourism Champions awards held at the U.S. Ambassador’s Residence in Dili.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through USAID’s Tourism For All Project, organized the event to recognize associations, businesses, and individuals that have made an outstanding contribution to the tourism industry in Timor-Leste. The Tourism Champions awards recognizes outstanding efforts to deliver positive guest experiences, as rated by the public through nominations of the best tourism businesses they have encountered over the past year.
Several of the winning businesses have received support from USAID’s Tourism For All project to help them succeed in this new environment, through the project’s $1.8 million grants program. The awards program also recognized the tourism associations that have been established to ensure community involvement and support in tourism development and promotion. USAID’s Tourism for All Project has supported all of them, recognizing that community tourism associations are the building blocks of inclusive and representative sector development.
The associations that received TBEH Awards of Recognition for Community Partnership were:
- ATKOMA, representing the people and tourism industry of Atauro;
- ASTRABEKA, working in the Mount Ramelau area; - AEMTL, the Women Entrepreneurs of Timor-Leste;
- ATR-TL, the Association for Faith-Based Tourism; - ATM-TL, the Marine Tourism Association
- HOTL, the Association of Hotel Owners of Timor-Leste
- AOTTL, the Tour Operators Association.
USAID’s Tourism For All Project selected the Tourism Champions Awards winners from nominations gathered through a public online poll. This poll was open to Timorese people and people overseas who have visited the country.
An internal panel at USAID’s Tourism For All selected the winners, based on the comments given in the online nomination questionnaires and the number of nominations received by each candidate. The Tourism Champions Awards Winners were:
- Best Eco Resort – Barry’s Place, Atauro
- Best Hotel – Beachside Hotel, Dili
- Best Value Restaurant (main dish under $8) - Equal winners
- Dilicious Timor Restaurant
- AHI MATAN - Best Restaurant – Café Aroma and Restaurant
- Best Dili Tour – Juventude ba Dezenvolvimentu Násional (JDN)
- Best National Tour – Eco Discovery Timor-Leste
- Best Café Timor-Leste – Ha-Ha Café
- Best Individual Guest Service – Luis Martins, Eco Discovery Timor-Leste
“The Turizmu Ba Ema Hotu Tourism Champions awards program is a show of U.S. support for Timor-Leste’s tourism sector,” said U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Tom Daley in his remarks at the awards ceremony.
“It is a pleasure to celebrate the achievements of those whose hard work is instrumental in helping Timor-Leste become a must-visit destination for tourists. The United States stands with them as a friend in partner to expand tourism opportunities in Timor-Leste.”
This event was organized with support from corporate partners Heineken Timor, East Timor Trading, Guide Post Magazine, and Cemill. Centru Sover, a social enterprise for disabled people, engraved the Tourism Champions trophies, using specialised equipment supplied to the group through a grant from USAID’s Tourism For All Project. The ceremony was also attended by USAID Timor-Leste Acting Mission Director Dinah Zeltser, government officials, and tourism entrepreneurs and leaders. (Pr)
