Bangkok (Thailand) – February 10, 2020 (travelindex.com) – From nearly 1,000 submissions, a jury, together with the public, selected ten winners of the Asia Destination Film Awards 2020 in the categories of Tourism Associations, Travel Industry, Filmmakers, User-Generated Content, and Sustainable Travel. The awards ceremony took place as part of the Asia Destination Film Forum on January 30, 2020. Following a preliminary selection of 200 semi-finalists and 34 finalists, a jury of filmmakers, tourism professionals, and media representatives determined the best entries in each category. In addition, over 7,000 audience votes determined the winners of the Audience Awards.

Jens Thraenhart, founder of the Asia Destination Film Forum and managing director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, explained: “The impact of visual storytelling, whether in feature films or online content, is clearly evident in tourists' travel decisions. Destinations can inspire travelers to new experiences through films and compelling stories. Films like 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,' 'The Beach,' and 'Lost in Thailand' are just a few examples of this impressive effect. Other films, from travel videos to contributions from travel companies, bloggers, or travelers, also reach their audiences, inspire travel, and promote sustainable tourism. With our festival and our awards, we want to recognize this and, at the same time, highlight the challenges for filmmakers and destinations, as well as the opportunities for achieving sustainability.”

All winners of the Asia Destination Film Awards 2020 are listed below.

The Asia Destination Film Awards were part of the Asia Destination Film Forum, which took place in Bangkok on January 30, 2020. In addition to live audience voting, there were acrobatic performances and appearances by Mongolian wrestlers. The forum was supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Asset World Corporation, ThaiBev, HMD Asia, Cambodian Living Arts, and MIAT Mongolian Airlines. Some of the award-winning films from the Asia Destination Film Awards will be presented on March 4, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. as part of the 4th Mini Mekong Tourism Forum at ITB Berlin, and on April 28 and 29, 2020, as part of the Mekong Tourism Forum in Bagan, Myanmar.

The Asia Destination Film Awards 2021 are accepting submissions from tourism boards, travel companies, filmmakers, students, and travelers from February 15 to October 15, 2020. The 3rd Asia Destination Film Forum will take place on February 25, 2021; applications for partner and host destinations are already being accepted.

About the Asia Destination Film Forum: The Asia Destination Film Forum celebrates tourism marketing and sustainability through inspiring visual storytelling.

Since 2018, the Asia Destination Film Forum has brought together the travel and tourism industry and filmmakers from the fields of feature films and video production to strengthen collaboration on film use and the promotion of sustainable tourism. The forum includes conferences, workshops, seminars, annual award ceremonies, and an online platform.

The Asia Destination Film Forum is organized by Chameleon Strategies, an associate member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which supports destinations and brands with sustainable strategies, including the use of visual storytelling to engage travelers and businesses.

Further information can be found at www.Destinationfilmforum.com

The winners of the Asia Destination Film Awards 2020 are: