Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 8 : Kerala Tourism's efforts towards heritage conservation have won it the top Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Award for its Muziris Heritage Project.

PATA had earlier honoured Kerala Tourism for its Responsible Tourism initiative in Kumarakom and Kerala tourism's popular e-Newsletter in 2014. This time the award came for the state's trendsetting efforts in reinventing the millennia old Spice Route heritage, an official statement said on Tuesday. 

"The award is an acknowledgement of the initiative to bring back our tradition and history for the sake of the modern generation and through it achieve the goal of growth and development for our people," said Kerala Tourism Minister A.P. Anilkumar.

"This is an award for the community and stakeholders in the state who are involved in the day-to-day work carried out on the ground to preserve our rich heritage," he added.

Kerala Tourism secretary G. Kamala Vardhana Rao who received the award said the Muziris Heritage Project is a vital element in the restoration of the historical Spice Route led by Kerala Tourism and supported by the central government and international organisations like Unesco.

The PATA awards, sponsored by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), has appreciated Kerala Tourism for the Muziris project's conservational aspect, uniqueness and impact on local community.

There were 269 entries from 83 organisations and individuals worldwide for this year's PATA award, the highest number since 2007.

Founded in 1951, the PATA is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.