The award, presented by TourBusiness Publishing House, General Director, Ivan Kalashnikov, was recieved by ATOR, Executive Director Maya Lomidze at WTM. The award is in recognition of companies and individuals which make significant contributions to the travel and tourism industry in a region.
As for the Association of Tour Operators Russia, that organization was set up back in 2007 by the country’s leading tour operators to include now some 50 plus of Russia’s best. ATOR businesses are responsible for over 50% of all outbound and inbound tourism for Russia.
Recent upheavals due to the west’s sanctions and the Ukraine affair saw ATOR playing a significant role in assisting stranded Russian tourists when some tour operators there went belly up. As for the award, Simon Press of Reed Travel Exhibitions is quoted by eTN:
“Russia has grown from being a very mina player to one of the most important inbound market for Europe, whilst ATOR has only been in existence for seven years the members it represents have achieved a for nominal amount in the last 25 years and has been of the greatest transformations in many years.”