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Vancouver International Airport was announced the overall winner of the World Routes 2017 Marketing Awards at a ceremony this evening (25 September) in Barcelona.
The World Routes Marketing Awardsare one of most prestigious events in the aviation industry. They are voted for by airline professionals who nominate the airports and destinations that provide outstanding support during the launch of new air routes or the development of existing services.
Vancouver is North America’s fastest-growing international airport, increasing at nearly twice the average rate. Last year passenger numbers increased by 9.7% to 22.3 million, putting the airport on track to meet its goal of 25 million passengers by 2020. Eight new routes were launched and 10 new airlines were gained in existing markets.
Anne Murray, Vancouver International Airport‘s vice president of marketing & Communications said: “We are deeply honoured with this recognition. This all comes down to team – our exceptional team at YVR, our outstanding airline partners and our community and tourism organizations who all work together to support the increase of traffic to Vancouver.”
Air Canada’s Bonnie Walker, director of sales for Western Canada, explained the airline’s relationship with Vancouver International Airport (YVR): “We truly are partners. They will work with you to bring customers and agencies to YVR to show what an amazing experience it is connecting through this airport. And I’d like to say thank you to YVR for that.“
In addition to the overall winner, the airport and destination awards are judged in five categories. Vancouver was also honoured in the ’20-50 Million Passengers’ category, while Nuremberg Airport won ‘Under 4 Million Passengers’; Prague Airport won ‘4 Million-20 Million Passengers’; Singapore Changi Airport won ‘Over 50 Million Passengers’ and Canary Islands Tourist Board won the ‘Destination’ award.
This year a new category was introduced to celebrate the individuals who make an outstanding contribution to route development. Léon Verhallen, Brussels Airport’s head of aviation development, scooped the award for helping to secure six new airlines and 17 new destinations in the last year, including routes to Shanghai (Hainan Airlines) and Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific).
Léon said: “This is a very special award for me. It’s my 30th year working in aviation, but this has only been possible because of the teams I have worked with. I spent many years in Amsterdam and the past 13 years in the Brussels team. I am proud to have worked with such amazing people.
“I was at the birth of the aviation marketing and since then the industry has come such a long way; you only have to look at the quality of people in the room here tonight.”
Steven Small, brand director of Routes, presented the awards. He said: “Congratulations to all of our winners who have impressed the judges with their achievements. The awards evening has been a brilliant way to bring the aviation industry together to celebrate success.“
The Government of Catalonia and Barcelona City Council have been hosting World Routes 2017 for 2,600 delegates from the global aviation industry. The awards ceremony took place at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.
Full list of winners:
Individual Award for Outstanding Contribution to Route Development
Léon Verhallen, Brussels Airport (winner)
Under 4 Million Passengers Award
Nuremberg Airport (winner)
Shannon Airport (highly commended)
4-20 Million Passengers Award
Prague Airport (winner)
Naples International Airport (highly commended)
20-50 Million Passengers Award
Vancouver International Airport (winner)
Munich Airport (highly commended)
Over 50 Million Passengers Award
Singapore Changi Airport (winner)
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (highly commended)
Destination Award
Canary Islands Tourist Board (winner)
Tenerife Tourism Corporation (highly commended)
Guangzhou to host the World Route Development Forum 2018
In the next year, the event will return to China and take place in Guangzhou city. On the evening of September 26, the representative of Guangzhou will accept the forum flag on behalf of the city at the Fira de Barcelona Exhibition Centre.
Guangzhou is the capital city of Guangdong Province where China made its first attempt at reform and opening up nearly four decades ago. Over 2,200 years ago, the ancient Maritime Silk Road extended from Guangzhou, traditionally known as Canton, to the rest of the world. As the only Chinese port always accessible to foreign traders in Chinese history, Guangzhou has long been one of the most vibrant players in international exchanges and resource aggregation in China, thus famed as the “Southern Gate of China”.
As a leading city of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Guangzhou boasts its world-class seaports, airports, rail transport and information hubs. It has long gained access to the other parts of the world through its 195 sea lanes and 304 domestic and international air routes. Also, 58% of the Internet users in Chinese mainland have access to the World Wide Web via Guangzhou.
With increasing connections through the “21st Century Air Silk Road” initiative, Guangzhou has continued to develop its advantages as an aviation hub. Over the recent years, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has emerged as the most important gateway for the city to connect to Southeast Asia and Oceania. Guangzhou’s global airline network has covered most of Asia Pacific, Oceania and Africa, and will expand its coverage in the European and American countries. According to statistics, in the first half of 2017 the airport was China’s third-busiest and world’s 16th-busiest airport by passenger traffic, with 32 million passengers handled, an increase of 10.78% on a year-on-year basis. As for cargo traffic, it was China’s third-busiest and the 19th-busiest worldwide, with 838 thousand tons cargo handled, up 8.47% from the previous year. The airport’s global airline network has covered 219 destinations globally, including 86 international ones. For now, the airport represents the hub of 77 airlines, 50 of which are from overseas.
For now, Guangzhou has announced an investment of over RMB 300 billion to build a “12-hour air traffic circle”. It is expected that airport industry will continue to emerge as a power engine driving the development of Guangzhou’s social economy for the future.
With the help of its urban transportation network, Guangzhou is marching forward with a grand ambition — to become an international exchange center and a hub for international shipping, aviation and science &technology innovation. To achieve these goals, the city is working to establish an international shipping center, a logistics center, a trade center and a modern financial service system.
Guangzhou Municipal Government is planning to adopt strategies and solutions on such industries as IAB (information technology, artificial intelligence and biopharmaceuticals) and NEM (new energy and materials) to reinforce the government’s commitment and bring in investment, intelligence and technology from around the world.
At the same time, this year’s Fortune Global Forum will take place in Guangzhou in December. Apart from the World Route Development Forum 2018, the city will also host the World Ports Conference 2019 and the Metropolis World Congress 2020.
Guangzhou has become home to capital-intensive and technology-intensive programs as well as high-end projects that have a concentrated impact on the whole industry chain. So far, 289 of Fortune Global 500 companies have made investment decisions on the city and established nearly 800 programs. The globally-connected city is presently taking advantage of the opportunity to pick up speed and become a world hub.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
