Travel Pulse

In Doha, Qatar, the World Travel Awards (WTA) held its Grand Final Gala Ceremony on Jan. 11. Organizations including American Express, Starwood Hotels, Lufthansa, Abercrombie & Kent, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Europcar and Incredible India walked off with top honors for their respective roles spearheading the global travel and tourism recovery.

Important decision-makers in global travel and tourism attended the show, which was held in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority at Katara Cultural Village, Doha’s new arts and exhibitions complex. The evening marked the culmination of a year-long search for the best travel and tourism brands in the world, and featured the winners from WTA’s five 2011 regional heats competing head to head.

India won the “World’s Leading Destination” award. Etihad Airways was voted “World’s Leading Airline” for the third year in succession, following a milestone year that saw the UAE flag carrier continue its journey as the fastest-growing airline in history. Meanwhile Abu Dhabi’s new Jumeirah at Etihad Towers won the “World’s Leading New Hotel” title. Doha was voted “World’s Leading Business Travel Destination,” Qatar Airways was named “World’s Leading Airline Business Class,” and Regency Travel & Tours was named “World’s Leading Travel Agency.”

In another win for Qatar, Aspire Zone was named the “World’s Leading Sports Tourism Development Project,” in recognition of the country’s sporting credentials.