Clark Freeport Zone was once again hailed as the Sports Tourism Destination of the Year for 2020 and 2021 by the Philippine Sports Tourism Awards (PSTA).
During the 5th PSTA held at the Quest Plus Conference Center in this Freeport, CDC President and CEO Atty. Agnes VST Devanadera with CDC Tourism Promotions Division Manager Noemi B. Julian, CDC Tourism Promotions Assistant Manager Elenita Lorenzo, and CDC Operations Administrator Ma. Zoraida Camello received the said recognition from Selrahco and PSTA founder and president Charles Lim and Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 3 Director Carolina Uy.
In her speech during the activity, Devanadera thanked the PSTA for the recognition it has bestowed to Clark and cited the contributions of the officials and personnel of CDC in making the Freeport a premiere business and tourism destination.
Devanadera also dedicated the award to the workforce of CDC who hurdled the challenges at the height of the global health crisis.
“This award is obviously for the people of Clark Development Corporation who were there during the time of the pandemic. It is my luck that I am receiving the award at this point in time. I am very grateful for the people of the CDC,” she said.
Meanwhile, Lim said that the awardees of the 5th PSTA were recognized for being key players in the Sports Tourism Industry in 2021.
“We will not let this opportunity past in not honoring the men and women, players and officials who have made sacrifices to keep sports tourism alive during the pandemic. Without any doubt, there are many more we would like to recognize but 2020 and 2021 were challenging times, ” he said.
PSTA acknowledges significant sports initiatives from both public and private sectors who exemplified commitment and deep conviction in promoting sports tourism in the country. Organized by Cebu-based public relations agency Selrahco, the 5th PSTA conferred a total of 5 awards to deserving public and private organizations.
Other awardees include Quest Plus and Conference Center – Clark as the Sports Tourism Hotel of the Year, 2020 Philippine Cup during the 45th Season of the PBA Presidents Cup as the Sports Tourism Tournament of the Year, Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas (SBP) as the National Sports Association of the Year, and Cebu Pacific as the Airline of the Year.
In 2015, 2018, and 2019, Clark Freeport Zone was awarded as the Sports Tourism Destination of the Year – the major category among the awards given by PSTA.
The 6th Philippine Sports Tourism Awards will be open for nominations from January 2 to March 31, 2023 in 14 different categories including Sports Tourism Destination of the Year, Sports Tourism Organizer of the Year (private and government), Sports Tourism Event of the Year (domestic and international), Sports Tourism Sport Association of the Year, Sports Tourism Destination Marketing of the Year, Sports Tourism Hotel of the Year, Sports Tourism Event Sponsorship of the Year, Sports Tourism Charity Event of the Year, Sports Tourism Airline of the Year, Adventure Event of the Year, Sports Venue of the Year, and Sports Media Coverage of the Year.