Now in its 42nd year, SKAL International-Makati recently unveiled the 31st edition of its Tourism Awards which included some of the leading personalities in the country. At this glitzy gala dinner, it was an opportune time to be with my colleagues and long-time friends in the Industry.
SKAL is a professional organization of tourism leaders around the world, promoting global tourism and friendship. It is the only international group uniting all branches of the travel and tourism industry. Its members – the industry’s managers and other executives – meet at local, national, regional, and international levels to discuss and pursue Tourism Industry topics of common interest.
The very first SKAL Club was actually put up 91 years ago in Paris by some French Travel Managers who just came from an Educational Tour of Scandinavia. The idea of international goodwill and friendship grew and, two years later, the Association Internationale des SKAL Clubs was formed, with Florimond Volckaert as the first president. He is now revered as the “Father of SKAL.”
SKAL is actually a Scandinavian acronym for Sundhet (Health), Karlek (Love), Alder (Long Life) and Lycka (Happiness). Those were the values upon which the SKAL Club of Makati was formed 42 years ago by its original 15 members. Since then, the Club has been at the forefront of the SKAL movement in the country, having won the bid to host the 12th AISC World Congress in Manila, and the 12th SKAL Asia Pacific Conference two years later.
Thirty-one years ago, the club decided to bestow awards on the country’s leading tourism personalities through its SKAL Tourism Awards, giving due recognition to those who have lived up to SKAL’s goals and objectives, and have invaluably served and contributed to the growth of the Travel and Tourism Industry. This has been the Club’s highlight event through the years.
This year’s Tourism Awardees are: First Lady Liza Marcos as Patroness of Philippine Arts and Culture; Manuel Pangilinan for Sports Tourism; Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco for Government Support; Elizabeth Sy for MICE Tourism; b of Southwind Travel and Tours for Tour Operator Category; Cesare Ignatius Moreno, Mayor of Aloguinsan, Cebu, for EcoTourism Gem; and Julius Neri II, CEO and GM of Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority for Tourism Infrastructure.
Other establishments were also awarded: All Nippon Airways for Airline Category; Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar for Cultural Tourism Category; Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation for Resort Category; Grand Hyatt Manila for Hotel Category, CNN Phillippines for Media Category; and UP Asian Institute of Tourism for Education Category.
A very important and meaningful Posthumous Award was given to the late Robert (Bobby) Joseph Jr. who has been the moving force behind SKAL International-Makati the past many years. He, in fact, thought of staging these Tourism Awards to pay tribute to the Industry’s trailblazers. The award was accepted by his family who came in full force, in grateful appreciation of the honor bestowed on their esteemed patriarch.
SKAL International-Makati’s current roster of officers includes DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista, as Chairman; Heritage Hotel GM Farid Schoucair, as President; Afro-Asian World of Events’ President Angel Bognot, as Vice-President; CEI Cargo President Deedee Ledonio, as Secretary General; Philippine Retirement Authority GM and CEO Cynthia Carrion, as Treasurer; Philippine Airlines President Stanley Ng, as Director; Bison Management Corporation President Menchie Orobia, as Director; and SMX Convention Center VP and GM Mike Albaña, as Director.
The officers and members are now looking forward to next year’s batch of awardees as they busy themselves with preparations for this year’s SKAL International World Congress in Malaga, Spain. Enhorabuena y Buena Suerte, SKAL!
YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE:
To solve his traffic woes, a man changed
his car horn to gunshot sounds.
People and vehicles get out of his way
much faster now.
For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com