Singapore, 19th October 2012
The travel elite of Asia, Australasia and the Indian Ocean have walked off with top honours at a World Travel Awards (WTA) ceremony hosted in Singapore on Thursday 18th October 2012.
Mandarin Oriental, Tourism New Zealand, Banyan Tree, Baros Maldives, Cathay Pacific and Pan Pacific were among the brands to emerge victorious at WTA’s Asia, Australasia & Indian Ocean Ceremony 2012.
A packed delegation of VIPs, senior tourism figures and international media travelled from 42 nations to attend the event at InterContinental Singapore, which was held in partnership with Singapore Tourism Board and TravelRave 2012, Asia’s most influential travel trade festival.
It was an evening of sweet success for countries across Asia. The region’s booming aviation market was acknowledged with Singapore Airlines picking up awards for “Asia’s Leading Airline” and “Asia’s Leading Airline Business Class”. Korean Air was named “Asia’s Leading Airline First Class” whilst Cathay Pacific was voted “Asia’s Leading Airline Economy Class”.
Meanwhile Sands Cotai Macao was voted “Asia’s Leading Tourism Development Project” and Marina Bay Sands was named “Asia’s Leading Casino Resort”.
India’s ascendancy up the tourism order was reflected with it fending off stiff competition from the likes of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bali, Malaysia and Shanghai to win the coveted title of “Asia’s Leading Destination”. Meanwhile Incredible India was voted “Asia’s Leading Tourist Board”.
In Australasia, Taveuni Palms (Fiji) won the coveted title of “Australasia’s Leading Villas”, Sydney Airport picked up “Australasia’s Leading Airport”, whilst Le Meridien Bora Bora (French Polynesia) was voted “Australasia’s Leading Luxury Hotel”.
The Maldives was voted “Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination” and LUX* Maldives was named “Indian Ocean’s Leading Hotel”.
The WTA awards programme, hailed as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’ by the global media, highlights and rewards those travel brands that have made the greatest contribution to the industry over the past year.
Graham E. Cooke, President & Founder, WTA, underlined the depth and quality of the travel and tourism sector across the three regions.
He says: “Our winners are drawn from the breadth of Asia, Australasia and the Indian Ocean, reflecting the strength and depth of the travel and tourism sector in the regions. I am sure these organisations will fare strongly in our Grand Final, which takes place in New Delhi, India on 12 December 2012.”
“The ceremony has also served as a glittering spotlight for Singapore – a tourism miracle that is bearing the fruits of its investments and creative flair. It is little wonder that this dynamic destination has recorded a double-digit growth in international arrivals over the past year.”
Singapore Tourism Board notes the added dimension this prestigious awards programme has brought to TravelRave’s mix.
Andrew Phua, Director, Exhibitions and Conferences of the Singapore Tourism Board says: “We congratulate the winners of World Travel Awards 2012 Asia, Australasia & Indian Ocean Ceremony 2012. As part of TravelRave, Asia’s most influential travel trade festival, the prestigious awards are an excellent platform to honour and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the various businesses that make up Asia Pacific’s dynamic travel and tourism industry.”
WTA’s Asia, Australasia & Indian Ocean Ceremony 2012 marked the final leg of WTA’s Grand Tour, a global search for the world’s leading travel brands, which also included regional heats in Dubai, Portugal and Turks & Caicos. The winners of these legs go head-to-head at WTA’s Grand Final, which takes place at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, New Delhi, India on 12 December 2012.
