MERRY CHRISTMAS, dear readers! It’s such a joy to, finally, be able to hug and kiss the ones we love, and show our sparkling smiles to everyone. God is, indeed, good.
My long-time friend, Charles Lim, Founder and Chairman of the annual Philippine Sports Tourism Awards (PSTA), gave out a fresh set of trophies for this year’s winners, as a tribute to the handful of sports associations and sports tourism-related entities that kept the Industry and Sports alive even during the two-and-a-half years of varying quarantine restrictions due to the pandemic.
This year’s glittering event was held at the Quest Plus Hotel in Clark which is this year’s awardee as Sports Tourism Hotel of the Year, for delivering top-class hospitality services to hundreds of basketball game officials, players, and trainers during the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and Federation International Basketball Association (FIBA) Asian Cup Qualifiers Bubbles at the height of the pandemic.
Naturally, the Sports Tourism Tournament of the Year award was given to the 2020 Philippine Cup of the PBA’s 45th Season, certainly a gargantuan feat, considering the numerous overwhelming challenges that had to be hurdled during the pandemic. Despite these “road bumps,” the PBA was still able to organize thrilling and entertaining basketball through the now iconic “PBA Bubble.”
This year’s National Sports Association is the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), for relentlessly pursuing every available way to stage very well-attended domestic and international tournaments. These uplift the spirit of basketball fans through “bubble” management, allowing events like the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, where teams from South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia competed with the Philippines last year.
The Airline of the Year is Cebu Pacific, for giving prizes to all Filipino Olympians and Paralympians of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics complimentary flight tickets, for the honor they brought to our country. These free tickets are also meant to celebrate the airline’s 25th anniversary.
Clark in Pampanga, through the Clark Development Corporation (CDC), was given the Sports Tourism Destination award, for staying true to its mission of becoming the favorite venue of Premier Sports Tourism events. The many marathons, triathlons, and motor racing events held there have made it a must-experience destination for Sports Tourism.
Although this year’s event was a scaled-down version of how it was the preceding years, the honor and fame that go with the awards continue to be a source of pride for the entities that received them.
In his congratulatory speech, Charles Lim emphasized that the PSTA will continue to honor the men and women, players and officials who have made sacrifices, especially during the pandemic, to keep Sports Tourism alive. Lim was assisted by Caroline Uy, Regional Director of the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region III, in giving out the awards.
The 5th PSTA was sponsored by the Tourism Promotions Board and Smart Communications. More information on the PSTA may be obtained from Charles Lim at selrahcopr@gmail.com.
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YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE:
Three drunk guys rode a taxi. The driver knew they were drunk. So he started the engine, turned it off again, and declared, “We have reached our destination.” The first guy gave him money, the second guy said “Thank you.” But the third guy slapped him. “What was that for?” The third guy replied, “Control your speed next time, you almost killed us!”
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