The South African series ‘The Neverending Tourists’ wins the Grand Prix at the Terres Travel Festivall

19-09-23

The award ceremony for the seventh edition of the tourism and travel film festival was held in Tortosa today. 127 productions from twenty-six countries have taken part in the week-long festival

Among the award-winners, Slovenia Green, awarded Best Film for the Promotion of Sustainability – Terres de l’Ebre, deserves a special mention

Visiting, falling in love with, and deciding to stay in South Africa. This is the story behind The Neverending Tourists, a South African series of three films made by the Eyeforce film producers and directed by Arthur Neumeier, which has won the Grand Prix award at the Terres Travel Festival in Tortosa as well as the Gold - Tourism Destination award. 

The prizes were announced this evening during the closing event and award ceremony of the tourism and travel film festival which has been taking place in Tortosa since 8 September. Over 150 professionals from the field of tourism audio-visual productions around the world were present at the event presented by the actress Ivana Miño.

The Neverending Tourists films are made in the Western Cape province of South Africa and feature German, Dutch, British and USA visitors who find wide open landscapes and fascinating cities located among beaches, mountains, vineyards and forests which is in vast contrast to the crowded and hectic cities of Europe and the US. It is here where these so-called neverending tourists discover this wonderful country as well as amazing food, drink, people, adventures and sun and decide to make it their home.

Sustainable destinations 

The other major award was won by Slovenia Green, directed by Andro Kajzer, Matej Lavka and Miha F Kalan, and recognized as Best Film for the Promotion of Sustainability - Terres de l'Ebre. This documentary presents Slovenia as a sustainable tourism destination with a wild and unspoilt nature through the experience of a cyclist following the Slovenia Green Gourmet Route, a cycling route connecting sustainable destinations among natural locations featuring vineyards, health spas, and rural accommodation. The Slovenia Green route is an excellent way to discover culinary delicacies in environmentally-aware restaurants, some of which boast Michelin stars.  

Other award-winning productions which stand out include Jiwa Jagad Jawi, a story showing the beauty and magical experience of a pilgrimage through Central Java and Borobudur (Indonesia), which has won the Restart (Recomencem) Award given by the Terres de l’Ebre Tourism Board. The audiovisual film Au pays de l'abeille noire, which deals with the importance of bees and how their disappearance affects our ecosystems, won the Prize for Best Film Promoting Respect Among Cultures, awarded by the UNESCO ePlatform. The Green Big Week, which presents the importance of bird-watching destinations in Catalonia in the context of southern European green tourism, has been awarded the Climent Ferrer Award for Best Production showing the values of the UNESCO Biosphere, sponsored by the Terres de l’Ebre Environmental Policy Consortium (COPATE). 

The best destinations 

In the category of tourism communication, the festival awarded the Gold – Independent Filmmakers award to Marselha - A Marseille Legend, an intimate and multicultural portrayal of the many sides to this French city. The film Madrid is Chulo shows Madrid to be a ‘cool’ city, with emphasis on its gastronomy, culture and lifestyles. It has won the Gold - Tourism Destination - City award. Finally, Finding Encanto, a series showcasing the wonders of Colombia seen through the eyes of six tourists, has received the Gold - Tourism Destination – Country award. 

 Award for a unique career path and film-making style 

The film director, producer and script-writer Theo Papadoulakis also received recognition during the ceremony where he was presented with the Terres Pioneers Award, a prize for a professional career dignifying quality tourism film-making. Papadoulakis founded Indigo View Productions in 2005, which has become one of the most successful film production companies in Greece, creating documentaries, advertisements and business films.

His film work stands out for its cinematographic aesthetic values and deep emotional content, a unique style of his own which aims to provoke sensations and be remembered by the spectator. Many of his short films and adverts have become viral thanks to this style and have been seen by millions of viewers. Papadoulakis has received over 70 international awards as a director of tourism films promoting destinations and hotels as well as documentaries and other short films. Examples which stand out include The Island (2011), which became the most watched series ever on Greek television, and short films such as Samurai (2005) and Pilala (2004), which have won twenty-seven international awards.

 The Terres Travel Festival comes to an end tomorrow, Saturday 16 September, with the screening of the award-winning films and musical performances by the rap and trap group Shuriikenn and the pop-rock group Lady Lux in the Plaça de la Cinta square in the old part of Tortosa. The festival has brought together 127 films, including documentaries, short films and publicity adverts from twenty-six different countries.

About us

The Terres Travel Festival is the only specialist tourism film festival in Spain. It has been a member of the CIFFT, International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals, since 2019, a body encompassing 14 different festivals with the aim of recognizing the best tourism films in the world. 

Terres Travel Festival has a direct and dynamic impact on the local territory and inhabitants by encouraging sustainable tourism and support for local cultural initiatives and strengthening the image and attractions of the area and its ‘brand’. 

The festival is co-organized by Terres & Landscape Travel Communication and Tortosa City Council. It is also supported by the Industry, Trade and Tourism Ministry, Tarragona County Council, and Baix Ebre Council.