The finest travel brands in the world have been unveiled at the World Travel Awards (WTA) Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2023 on December 1, in Dubai. The tourism royalty convened at Dubai’s Burj Al Arab to find out who amongst them had been voted ‘the best of the best’.

The red-carpet reception marked the climax of WTA’s landmark 30th anniversary of celebrating travel excellence.

The Maldives emerged as one of the evening’s stars, picking up the ultimate honour of ‘World’s Leading Destination’, with Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) voted ‘World’s Leading Tourist Board’.

The pristine beaches and reefs of the Philippines were recognised with awards for ‘World’s Leading Dive Destination’ and ‘World’s Leading Beach Destination’. Madeira’s wild beauty proved a winner with voters, as the Atlantic archipelago collected ‘World’s Leading Island Destination’. With its timeless elegance and world-class facilities, Cannes was named ‘World’s Leading Festival & Event Destination’.

The Caribbean enjoyed a strong showing, with the paradise island of Saint Lucia voted ‘World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination’. Jamaica also reinforced its credentials as a tourism powerhouse by winning ‘World’s Leading Family Destination’ and ‘World’s Leading Cruise Destination’.

Qatar’s buoyant tourism sector led to a raft of awards. Following the success of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Doha was voted ‘World’s Leading Sports Tourism Destination’. It was also named ‘World’s Leading Business Travel Destination’. Qatar Tourism collected ‘World’s Leading Marketing Campaign’.

In the newcomer categories, Dubai’s iconic Atlantis The Royal lived up to its billing by claiming ‘World’s Leading New Resort’. Qatar’s new architectural masterpiece, Raffles Doha was voted ‘World’s Leading New Hotel’. The ascent of Saudi Arabia’s tourism economy was acknowledged with Red Sea International Airport taking ‘World’s Leading New Airport’.

The Burj Al Arab Jumeirah provided the perfect fitting for the ceremony. An icon of Arabian luxury, the hotel has played a significant role in putting Dubai on the global luxury tourism map.

Graham Cooke, Founder, WTA, said: “It has been a privilege to host our 30th anniversary celebrations at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai for an incredible evening that will last long in everyone’s memory. Our World winners represent the pinnacle of tourism excellence, and I congratulate each and everyone for helping to raise the collective benchmark to even greater heights”.

The strength of Arabian aviation was highlighted with big wins for Qatar Airways (‘World’s Leading Airline’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline - Business Class’); Etihad Airways (‘World’s Leading Airline - Economy Class’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline – Customer Experience’); and Emirates (‘World’s Leading Airline - First Class’).

The opulent beachside retreat, Jumeirah Al Naseem, UAE claimed ‘World’s Leading Hotel’, whilst Sardinia’s Forte Village Resort took ‘World’s Leading Resort’. – TradeArabia News Service