2018 Air NZ CI Tourism Awards

Sponsors sign up for the  2018 Air New Zealand Cook Islands Tourism Awards
Former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry will be the guest speaker at The Air New Zealand Cook Islands Tourism Industry Awards 2018. The most anticipated Industry event, signed a total of 10 major sponsors last week at a special event in the Air New Zealand Koru Lounge.
Today at Air New Zealand’s Koru Lounge at Rarotonga Airport, the Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council’s President, Sue Fletcher-Vea, announced and welcomed the sponsors for the prestigious 2018 Air New Zealand Cook Islands Tourism Awards.
Premium-Gold:               Air New Zealand
Gold:                                     BCI, BSP, CITC, Cook Islands Tourism
Silver:                                  Bluesky, Cook Islands News, Cook Islands Sun, Pitt Media Group, and the Ministry of Cultural Development
The Air New Zealand Cook Islands Tourism Awards are the industry’s most anticipated event.
The Awards have two underlying objectives: to stimulate a process of continual business improvement, and to recognise excellence within the Cook Islands tourism industry. These objectives apply across all businesses, large and small.
Air New Zealand’s country manager for the Cook Islands, Marisa Newman said:
“Air New Zealand is looking forward to supporting these awards once again and celebrating those businesses, which continually raise the bar and deliver strong customer experiences.  The Cook Islands has been an important part of our network for more than 40 years now and we’re incredibly proud to be considered a local airline and contribute to this great industry.”
In 2018, Awards will be presented to winners in new categories aimed at being more inclusive and relevant to the tourism industry today. These categories are:

• Culture
• Environment
• Adventure/Eco-Tourism
• Visitor Experience/Customer Care
• Marketing
• Business Excellence
• Employer of the Year
• Community Development

Additional winners will be selected from the all applications in Special Categories.
Other Awards for the 2018 Air New Zealand Cook Islands Tourism Awards include:

• The Outstanding Contribution to Tourism Award
• The Lifetime Achievement to Tourism Award

The two judges for the 2018 Air New Zealand Cook Islands Tourism Awards are New Zealand based. The judges will receive all applications directly from the applicants.
Online applications for the Awards will be open to the tourism industry mid-October (watch for ads in the press and on TV). Hard copies of the application form will be available through the Cook Islands Tourism Information Office. Applications close early December.
When finalists are selected, the judges will visit the Cook Islands for personal interviews in February to finalise the winners in the various categories.
For more information, contact:
Betsy Eisler
Tourism Awards Committee Member & Board Member
Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council
E: betsy@oyster.net.ck
T: 20002