The Cyprus Tourism Awards that see through particular achievements
A chance to celebrate collective progress and reinforce interdependent relationships
It's that time of the year where industries look towards their highlights and eventually meeting to decide about the most performing staff member, organization, leader or contributing event - but what do these these “awards” signify as part of the year end ceremonies?
An example that got me thinking was the recent, Pasydixe Personality award for Cyprus Tourism, awarded by the Cyprus Hotel Managers Association annual assembly.
In the context of recognizing a person's lifetime achievement, it's an excellent opportunity to discover an individual's sustained efforts in favor of a particular industry. Yet it's too well known that in an industry made of interdependent relationships, I am left with the question in how highlighting the role of a single person's achievements, a measure of how everyone else is doing in the industry? It is simply not saying anything about the industry as such.
Without undermining the value of current awards, as such, I miss see the sense of perpetuating a model of awards that is artificially limited to a few 'winners' and which potentially reinforces seeing others as competitors or obstacles to one's success. Would it not be make sense that to see awards really motivating individuals and organizations to develop their unique talents and interests and be recognized for it?
While looking at the national tourism sector as a whole, in an industry that should be promoting relationships of interdependence and not disrupting them, I feel there is room for promoting organizations and persons that have taken different risks and risen above their particular challenges. A chance to celebrate each particular successes as an interpretation of multiples collective achievements for the whole industry.
This is at least an aspiration we look for as we examine the possibility of resuscitating the Lychnos Travel Awards, which as the name indicates, highlights those companies and initiatives that best present the potential for driving change and gaining from the emerging dynamics. These were conceived as a way to reward the process of arriving at a particular industry worthy accomplishment rather than the magnitude of the particular accomplishments themselves.
What's your take, what awards will you be aspiring for this year?