Amid the COVID-19 pandemic Cambodia’s vital tourism industry has received some good news – Shinta Mani Wild has once again put Cambodia on the global tourism map.
The multi-award-winning eco-resort did it by receiving the Platinum recognition in the MUSE International Creative and Design Awards this week. By winning the award, Shinta Mani Wild has joined Coca Cola, Hewlett Packard, BMW, World Vision International, China Global Television Network and other prestigious brands.
Shinta Mani Wild was recognised in the Architectural (Hospitality sub-category) category.
“I am always delighted yet humbled to see the growing global recognition for Shinta Mani Wild. As a living case study for conservation, wildlife protection and sustainability [including sustainable design] which is even more poignant in these times, such awards help bring these important messages to the forefront of people’s minds and hopefully inspire them to visit and experience Cambodia and Shinta Mani Wild once borders and skies reopen,” said Bill Bensley, the designer and co-owner of Shinta Mani Wild, via an email.
Shinta Mani Wild is the sole entry from Cambodia that won an award in the 2020 edition of the MUSE International Creative and Design Awards.
It was a double celebration for the world-renowned designer as another architectural creation of Bensley, the Hotel de La Coupole-MGallery Sapa located in northern Vietnam, also won the Platinum award in the same category.
Aside from the two Bensley-designed winners, the only other Platinum winner in the Architectural category is the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Hotel-Guitar Tower in the United States.
The MUSE International Creative and Design Awards recognise exemplary creative and design programmes across the various categories, including Architectural, Lighting, Landscape, Product, Fashion, Concept, Interior and Packaging.
Close to 4,000 entries from more than 50 countries were submitted this year.
For the 2020 awards, the International Awards Associates (IAA) and the jury panel comprised 48 multi-disciplinary professionals and leaders on their respective fields. The IAA is the main entity behind the annual awards, according to a media release.
“Panelist assessments are made on a submission’s corresponding industry standards, while weighing its creative and design concepts. Winners are then picked from the pool of international submissions,” it said.
Shinta Mani Wild, which sits on 160 hectares of forests between the Cardamon, Kirirom and Bokor national parks, has shot to fame over the last few years becoming the most internationally-recognised eco-resort in Cambodia since opening its doors in late 2018.
The resort has also won a collection of other international awards and has been featured in numerous international publications such as Time magazine, South China Morning Post, Travel Weekly UK, The Australian, among others.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
