The award for the most meaningless award

Woody Allen's character in the film Annie Hall bemoans the growing number of awards - the Oscars, the Golden Globes, the Grammys, etc - that the entertainment 産業 in Los Angeles keeps 手渡すing out to itself. What next? he muses. 'Greatest 国粋主義者／ファシスト党員 独裁者, Adolf Hitler!' 確認するing my theory that the travel 商売／仕事 is a の近くに 親族 of the entertainment 産業, it now runs showbusiness very の近くに in the 量 of gongs it likes to 分配する. The travel 貿易（する） has several evenings a year - lavish 儀式s running for hours in which, like school sports days of old, nobody leaves empty-手渡すd.

Step 今後, for example, UK Coach 操作者 of the Year or Best Holiday 追加する-on (not, as you might have thought, the most fatuous 推論する／理由 for a 割増し料金 but a gong for those companies that 申し込む／申し出 割引 airport car parking and the like). Last week Conde Nast Traveller magazine 発表するd (yes, at a lavish 儀式) that Italy is 'the world's 最高の，を越す travel 目的地', followed closely by Australia, フラン, America and Thailand. And in 事例／患者 you've been worrying about the 結果, the Maldives is the world's 'number one island'; 最高の，を越す overseas city is Rome; favourite UK city is 物陰／風下d; 最高の，を越す European hotel is the Cipriani in Venice; and the 主要な Overseas 目的地 Spa (whatever that is) is Pangkor Laut 訴える手段／行楽地 in Malaysia. I stand second to no one in my 賞賛 for the Cipriani, or even 物陰／風下d, but I'm not sure how much it 遂行するs by 申し込む／申し出ing them accolades 経由で opinion 投票s. What does it mean to say that Italy is the world's 最高の，を越す holiday 目的地? As a traveller, will you suddenly 宣言する: '井戸／弁護士席 that's it with me for Spain - 今後 I'll only be going to Italy.'

Or what does Laos do - in at number 19 on Conde Nast's 最高の，を越す 20 countries - about its 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）ing? Do the big wigs in Laos get together and wonder how they can get themselves into the 最高の，を越す Ten next year? It's all a bit of gentle fun, of course. And awards are always ni ce to get, but I do wonder whether they may not be used to better 影響. I have a feeling I may have 点火（する）d the fad for travel awards in 1980 when I ran the first best and worst 調査する of readers of 商売／仕事 Traveller magazine.

Readers were happy to 指名する their favourite 航空機による or airport but much keener to 指名する their worst 航空機による and airport.

The 行為／法令／行動する of 指名するing and shaming bad performers had much more 衝撃 on 改善するing things for travellers than flattering the high achievers. But in nearly all the awards, there is no 成果／努力 to recognise the one part of a service 産業 that really 事柄s: the staff.

What makes a holiday a horror or something very special tends to be the 質 of service - individual 行為／法令／行動するs of special niceness are often what you remember most vividly. Shouldn't more 成果／努力 be made to recognise the travel 産業 heroes and ヘロインs on the frontline?

Do you have a question to ask Frank Barrett? Click here to ask him online, or 令状 to him at The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT.

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