The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced the winners of the 2006 PATA Gold Awards, but only one out of the 28 different winners was from China.

The sole China award recipient was The South China Morning Post.

The 2006 PATA Grand Award for Heritage has been awarded to the paper for its Hong Kong's Vibrant Rural Communities campaign. Published in The South China Morning Post, the series of articles vividly illustrates how the traditional villages of Hong Kong have adapted to the 21st century and the role they play in conserving Hong Kong’s heritage.

Multiple awards went to several of this year's entrants, such as Kerala Tourism, Banyan Tree Holdings, Tourism New Zealand, Sarawak Tourism Board and Singapore Airlines.

The winning campaigns were selected from more than 200 Gold Award entries by panels of international experts in each category. The awards were open to both PATA and non-PATA members.

The PATA Gold Awards are sponsored by the Macau Government Tourist Office.

Grand Award winners will receive their trophies during the opening ceremony of the 55th PATA Annual Conference on April 24, 2006. The Gold Award winners will be presented their trophies during a special luncheon on the same day.