Kerala has begged Best Performing Tourism State Award for Outstanding achievements in the area of Tourism.  It has also won Best Maintained Tourism Friendly Monuments Award for Sakthan Thampuran Palace, Kochi. 

            Konaseema Tourism Project of Andhra Pradesh has been declared Best Tourism Project in the country while Assam Bengal Navigation Project begged the award for Most Innovative Tourism Project.  Beach Protection Council of Orissa was declared the best NGO working for the promotion of Tourism.

            In the category of hotels, Oberoi Amarvilla, Agra and Taj Residency, Bangalore were declared the best hotels while The Marriot, Delhi got the prize for best Eco-Friendly Hotel and Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom – Kerala won the best Eco-Friendly Resort.

            Presenting the National Tourism Awards for outstanding performance for the year 2004-05 in various sectors of tourism and travel, in the glittering function here today, Smt. Ambika Soni, Minister for Tourism and Culture said that the Government had recently taken number of initiatives to ensure active participation of private sector in tourism promotion which include scheme for infrastructure creation also.  She said Government is committed to provide all possible support to the travel and tourism industry as tourism is a high priority item on the agenda of the Government.  Smt. Ambika Soni also awarded 24 students for the contest ‘What tourism Means to Me’ organized by the Ministry on the World Tourism Day.

On the occasion launching Incredible India Visa Great Breaks programme in collaboration with Visa International to promote India as preferred travel destination, Smt. Ambika Soni said that the programme is an excellent example of private sectors partnership for the promotion of tourism.  Briefing about the highlights of the programme, Country Manager South Asia, Visa International Asia Pacific, Shri Santanu Mukherjee said that the programme had an immediate audience of over 277 million visa cardholders in the Asia Pacific region and 1.3 billion cardholders across the world.  The programme would provide tourists with direct access to merchants thereby helping them to plan their visit more effectively. 

Smt. Ambika Soni also release TV commercials prepared by the Ministry on North East, Jammu & Kashmir, Buddhist Circuit and Andaman & Nicobar.

Awardees different categories are as follows:

Hotels                                                  Awardee

5 Star Deluxe                                        The Oberoi Amarvilas - Agra

5  Star                                                  Taj Residency - Bangalore

4 Star                                                   Gateway hotel on Residency Road - Bangalore

3 Star                                                   Brunton Boatyard - Cochin

2 Star                                                   Desert Resort - Mandawa

1 Star                                                   Hotel Fifty Five - New Delhi

Heritage Grand Hotels                            Shivnivas Palace - Udaipur

Heritage Classic                                                Coconut Lagoon - Kumarakom

Heritage Hotels                                      Hotel Samode Palace - Samode.

Best Eco-Friendly Hotel                          The Marriot – Delhi

Best Eco-Friendly Resort                        Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom - Kerala

Category – i : Travel Agents/Tour Operators ( Over 25 crore)

First Prize                                            Kuoni Travel (INDIA) Pvt. Ltd. - New Delhi.

Second Prize                                         Le Passage to India – New Delhi

Third Prize                                             Travel Corporation (INDIA) Pvt. Ltd - Mumbai

Category II :Travel Agents/Tour Operators ( 10-25 crore)

First Prize         Tourism India Management Enterprise Pvt. Ltd -New Delhi

Second Prize                                         Tushita Travels Pvt. Ltd.  - New Delhi

Third Prize                                             Orient Express Pvt. Ltd  - New Delhi

Tourist Transport Operators

First Prize                                             KTC (India) pvt. Ltd - New Delhi

Second Prize                                         Parveen Travels (P) Ltd.  - Chennai

Third Prize                                             Bakshi Transport Service Pvt. Ltd - New Delhi

Best MICE Operator                              Travel Corportion (I) Pvt. Ltd - Mumbai 

Best adventure tour operator                Sea and Sky Travels  (India) Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi

a. Best Dom. Tour Operator                   Cox & Kings (India) Pvt. Ltd. – New Delhi

   (Rest Of India)

b.Best Domestic Tour Operator             Heat Travels & Tours (I) Pvt. Ltd. – Siliguri

  (North East Of India)

Most Innovative Tour                          Mercury Himalayan Explorations Ltd. -  New Delhi

            Operator                                 

Best Maintained Tourist                       Sakthan Thampuran Palace – Kochi

Friendly  Monument                            Department of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala                           

Best Rural Tourism Project                  Konaseema Tourism Project Department of Tourism Govt of   Andhra  Pradesh

Most Innovative Tourism                      Assam Bengal Navigation                                              

       Project      Assam Bengal Navigation Co. Pvt. Ltd. - Guwahati           

Innovative Use of  IT    Department of Tourism - Govt. of Tamil Nadu       

Best NGO in Promoting                        Beach Protection Council of Orissa - Puri

          Tourism                                    

(A)  Excellence In Publication             “Palaces of Rajasthan” India Book House -Mumbai                                                                                                                      

(b) Special Award        “Ayurveda – The Mantra of Nirmaya” & “Kerala Tourism Handbook” Department of Tourism Govt. of Kerala

Excellence in publication (Hindi)         “Srishti”            

Excellence In Publication                    Department of Tourism Govt. of Pondicherry

        (Collaterals)                                

Excellence In Tourism Films   Gujrat - Glimpses Of Glory, Tourism Corporation Of Gujarat Limited

Best State /UT                                      Govt. of Kerala  

Best Foreign Charter                           M/s. World of TUI

           Operator for India

Best Oversea Tour Operator  for India M/s. Sita World Travel Inc. USA

Best Tourist Guide                               Shri P. Asoka, Chennai

Best Students   Student from IITTM 7  & Institute under NCHMT 16

Photo & Essay contests            14 awardees (National level contest – conducted during World Tourism Day 2005).

NCJ/DT