Alvinology wins Best Airline Blog at the TBC Asia Travel Blogger Awards

Organised by the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA), Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and SriLankan Airlines, the TBC (Travel Bloggers Conference) Asia Travel Blogger Awards seek to give recognition to the best travel bloggers across the world and Alvinology was honoured to be listed among the finalists for the Best Airline Blog category, eventually winning the top prize in a glitzy award ceremony held at Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo.

Photos from the award ceremony:

The festivities extend to the outdoor area as well:

The event was held in Sri Lanka over a period of a week plus, during which the full-day Travel Blogger Conference was held on the last day, followed by the award ceremony for the Travel Blogger Awards in the evening. Attending bloggers also get to attend hosted tours to different parts of Sri Lanka to learn more about the country’s tourism, history and culture.

TBC Asia was first started in 2014 in Sri Lanka and the second edition was launched in 2016. The forum was set up to celebrate travel blogging as a profession and get travel bloggers to come together to network with tourism partners like airlines, hotels and tour operators to spruce up global travel.

Photos from the conference where I did a sharing session on blog monetisation:

When Alvinology was named as one of the finalists at the TBC Asia Travel Bloggers Award, honestly, we were deeply surprised as we were the only Singapore representative at the event. We didn’t expect to win, but was very honoured to walk away with the top prize.

Through the entire event, I got to make some true friendships which lasted till today, including with my other two finalists in the Best Airline Blog category – Riaan George from India and Josh Cahill from Germany. The two fine gentlemen taught me a thing or two about style. Look at how well-dressed they are for the awards night compared to yours truly:

Many travel bloggers write about travel destinations and the local attractions, but far and few would go into details on airline reviews, which the three of us did. I am glad to connect with other like-minded individuals like Riaan and Josh at the event. We even joked about setting a ‘bloggers boy band’ for airline bloggers called the Fly Boys.

The blog entries I submitted for judging including reviews done for renowned airlines like Qatar Airways, SilkAir, Scoot, AirAsia and Vietjet. We thank all of our long-time airline partners for trusting us as all these years and continuing to support and work with us to this day.

It was a great honour to be named Best Airline Blog among some of the best travel bloggers in the world.

Thank you to the organisers for organising such a wonderful event as well. I was truly impressed with the hospitality in Sri Lanka and listed the country on my bucket list of favourite countries to visit again.

During the trip, we visited the airline training centre for SriLankan Airlines where we got to try out the flight simulator which pilots use for training. We also got the interact with the air stewards and stewardesses, getting to know more about their hospitality and safety training.

While Sri Lankan Airlines may not be a large or well-known airline, the service standard is high and the F&B served onboard are delectable. If you are traveling to Sri Lanka in particular, or if you are looking for a stopover destination, flying further to Europe, do consider SriLankan Airlines which is also a member of Oneworld Alliance since 2014, giving them an international nod of approval for their service standard.

Flying Business Class with SriLankan Airlines and experiencing their executive lounge at Bandaranaike International Airport in Sri Lanka:

Thank you once again for the Best Airline Blog win – it was one of the best news for us in 2016!

About Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts

Owned by the Sri Lankan based company John Keells Holdings, the Cinnamon chain is recognised, both in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, for its subtle elegance and location specific presentation. The cosmetic values of the hotels & properties aside, the Cinnamon brand prides itself on being a gateway for travel & leisure related innovations that are constantly raising the benchmark of hospitality.

About Professional Travel Bloggers Association

The PTBA is dedicated to furthering the needs of travel bloggers everywhere by creating platforms that help launch their careers and sustain them. Their aim is to give travel bloggers the opportunity to enhance the industry at large, through their work – thus making them facilitators of sound business relationships.

About SriLankan Airlines

Founded in 1947 under the name Air Ceylon, SriLankan Airlines is the flagship carrier of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. As of July 2013 the airline flies to 64 destinations in 34 countries around the world, and is a member of the Oneworld Alliance as of 2014.