Tiqets, a leading international online booking platform for museum and attraction experiences, has opened applications for two of its most exciting Remarkable Venue Awards categories: Best Hidden Gem and Most Innovative Venue, to UAE venues.

 

Museums and attractions in the UAE, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the UK, and the US are invited to apply for these highly coveted tourism awards.

  

The annual tourism awards series celebrates the best museums and attractions worldwide. The Best Hidden Gem and Most Innovative Venue categories will be assessed by a panel of industry judges: 

• Prakash Vivekanand - Middle East and North Africa Leisure & Attractions Council (Menalac) Founder and Board Member and Amusement Services International Group Managing Director 

• Mike Ribgy - Menalac Board Member and WhiteWater Middle East & India Executive VP

• Alex Schrott - Menalac Board Member and Head of Waterparks & Amusement Parks, Rides & Structures at TÜV SÜD Middle East 

 

“The world’s appetite for travel and culture is back! We’re proud to offer hundreds of museums and attractions across the globe the chance to reach new visitors/raise awareness among visitors by being named the Best Hidden Gem or Most Innovative Venue in their country. Both of these awards celebrate niche, unique and off-the-beaten-track venues as well as those pushing the boundaries to engage visitors in new and exciting ways. We’re excited to help uncover these special venues and share them with the world,” says Tiqets CEO Laurens Leurink. 

 

Tiqets.com works with some of the most popular venues in the UAE including Louvre Abu Dhabi, Museum of the Future, Burj Khalifa, and View at The Palm.

 

Previous years’ award winners such as Barcelona’s Casa Batllo and Liverpool’s Royal Liver Building have been highlighted for their award in publications like National Geographic, The Guide Liverpool, and Conde Nast Traveller. This year, all winners working with Tiqets.com will also receive a special badge on their profile recommending them to site visitors.

 

How to apply for an award

The application-based awards is open from July 21 until September 8. Venues can apply for Best Hidden Gem or Most Innovative Venue via this application form. 

 

The winners will be chosen by a panel of expert judges in their region, such as regional DMOs and tourism experts against a set of scoring criteria. Venues that score the highest across the criteria are shortlisted as nominees, with the top-scoring venue being awarded the winner. The regional winners then go on to compete under the same categories for the global awards in November 2022. Tiqets does not have an influence on the scoring of these applications, the statement said. 

 

To be eligible to participate, venues must be based in the UAE, the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United States, Germany, and Portugal.

 

The Best Hidden Gem Award

A hidden gem refers to a venue that is outstanding, unique or special. This award category is focused on highlighting lesser-known and more niche attractions to travellers the world over. This award is open to all museums and attractions. Venues do not need to be working with Tiqets to apply. Previous winners include Museo Chillida Leku, Artechouse and Velazquez Tech Museum. 

 

The Most Innovative Venue Award

Innovation is about finding ways to be creative and unique that are also modern and up to date. This award is about spotlighting museums and attractions that found new and original ways to appeal to customers. This could include sustainable initiatives, creative marketing strategies, or new technology implemented. This award is open to all museums and attractions. Venues do not need to be working with Tiqets to apply. Previous winners include Paris Montparnasse Top of the City, Remastered and Mostra di Leonardo. 

 

About the Remarkable Venue Awards

The Remarkable Venue Awards celebrates seven categories of awards in nine countries worldwide. Since 2017, the awards have recognised museums and attractions in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. For the first time this year, the awards program will also include the United Arab Emirates, Germany, and Portugal.

 

The selection of the winning venues in the Best Attraction, Best Museum, Best Onsite Experiences, Most Remarkable Venue, and Best Landmark categories will be based on 1.1m+ customer reviews of venues on Tiqets.com. The nominees for these categories will be announced at the end of September. 

 

The Tiqets Remarkable Venue Awards ceremony will be hosted at the Tourism Innovation Summit in Seville on November 2. - TradeArabia News Service