UAE stars at travel industry’s ‘Oscars’ night
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Etihad Airways, Jumeirah, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), Raffles, and Royal Caribbean were among the names to emerge victorious at World Travel Awards 2011 Middle East Ceremony held at the Armani Hotel Dubai on Monday night.The industry’s elite – including CEOs of leading travel companies, government ministers, and tourist board chiefs – attended the glittering gala event, which was headlined by Lebanese pop sensation, Elissa.Hailed as “the Oscars of the Travel Industry” by organisers, World Travel Awards honours the brands it says are pushing the boundaries of industry excellence. More than 462 organisations across the Middle East, spanning more than 125 categories, entered the competition.Etihad Airways was one of the big winners on the night, walking off with four awards, including the titles of “Middle East’s Leading Airline,” “Middle East’s Leading Airline First Class, “Middle East’s Leading Airline Inflight Entertainment,” and “Middle East’s Leading Cabin Staff.”Meanwhile, Dubai was named “Middle East’s Leading Destination,” as well as “Middle East’s Leading Meetings and Conference Destination.” Abu Dhabi’s continuing rise was rewarded, too, as it took home a host of top honours, including “Middle East’s Leading Tourist Board” and “Middle East’s Responsible Tourism Award.”The awards were received on Abu Dhabi’s behalf by Khaled Al Hashemi, ADTA administration director and tourism standards director Nasser Al Reyami. Other Abu Dhabi winners included Emirates Palace, ADNEC, Royal Jet, Beach Rotana, Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort and Omeir Travel.On an individual level, HRH Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud was honoured as “Travel Personality of the Year” for the Middle East for his contribution to the global hospitality sector, which includes backing what is set to become the tallest building in the world, the mile-high Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia.Bin Talal also owns stakes in Fairmont Hotels, Four Seasons, New York’s Plaza Hotel, the London Savoy, Monte Carlo Grand Hotel, and Euro Disney. Graham E. Cooke, president and founder, World Travel Awards said: “The Middle East was the perfect region to mark the start of the World Travel Awards 2011 Grand Tour, setting the bar for the rest of the world to raise the standards of excellence in travel and tourism.”Other notable winners on the night included Rotana Hotels Suites and Resorts, Emaar Hotels & Resorts, and Jumeirah Hotels Resorts and Residencies.Each winner receives automatic entry to the World Travel Awards Grand Final, which is set to be staged later this year.
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