Khiri Travel is an independent destination management company with 11 offices in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia, and an inbound travel company in the USA. The company's knowledge of the Mekong region shows in its unusual destinations, innovative itineraries and in its commitment to responsible travel.
HO CHI MINH – Khiri Travel has won the “Inbound Travel Operator of the Year” award at the 5th Mekong Tourism Alliance Awards, held this week in Vietnam.
Mr. Hugues Springer of Khiri Travel Vietnam collected the award at the 9th International Tourism Exchange (ITE) Vietnam Grand Opening Ceremony and Gala Dinner on 11 September in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Mekong Tourism Alliance Awards (MTAA) recognize tourism excellence in five Mekong countries: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The awards aim to promote pride and achievement among travel industry professionals and organizations. They also recognize excellence in tourism and hospitality in the Mekong region.
“I salute the Khiri staff for their enthusiasm in helping us serve our clients in such innovative, award-winning ways, every day, all across the Mekong region,” said Willem Niemeijer, CEO and co-founder of Khiri Travel. “The ITE award is dedicated to everyone in our hard working team in six countries,” he said.
The award for inbound travel operator was given based on clear criteria: quality of service; good value to tourists visiting the five countries; innovative itineraries; unique creativity in tour packages; reasonable cost of travel packages; the variety of travel options; the quality of customer service, based on customer testimonials; advocacy and development of sustainable tourism; and industry acknowledgement among peers.
The Mekong Tourism Alliance Awards are organized by tourism-related ministries in the five countries. There were six categories of the awards this year: airline of the year, outbound travel operator, inbound travel operator, five-star hotel, resort hotel, and eco-tourism destination of the year. All entries were assessed by a panel of five independent judges.
This year was the first time Khiri Travel submitted an entry. The company is attending ITE, 12-14 September, at booth S14.
Photo caption: Hugues Springer with Khiri’s inbound award
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