World Travel Awards announces line up for European event

The focus firmly switches to this emerging resort as a star studded line-up celebrates
excellence of the European industry. The awards are recognised as helping to raise levels of supreme customer service, innovation, creativity as well as encouraging high standards of overall business performance.

International comedian and actor Bobby Davro hosts the World Travel Awards, introducing a range of lively performances.

Disco legend George McCrae from the Miami Sound Machine will headline the evening, performing a selection of popular hits including his record breaking Rock Your Baby, which has sold 52 million copies worldwide.

The true stars of the night, however, will be those travel professionals and organisations collecting their World Travel Awards which will be presented throughout the evening.

Air France, BMI British Midland, British Airways, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, SAS Scandiinavian Airlines and Swiss International Airlines are all competing for the coveted title of Europe’s Leading Airline.

A total of thirteen of the very best hotels in the region are in the running for the title of Europe’s Leading Hotel. They are: Ciragan Palace Kempinski, Istanbul, Turkey; Donbass Palace Hotel, Ukraine; Dubrovnik Palace Hotel, Croatia; Grand Hotel Wien, Vienna, Austria; Hotel Arts, Barcelona, Spain; Hotel Cipriani, Venice, Italy; Hotel de Palais, Biarritz, France; Hotel Le Bristol, Paris, France; Kemer Resort Hotel, Kemer, Turkey; Mandarin Oriental Hotel du Rhone, Geneva, Switzerland; Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, and The Dorchester, both in London England.

Graham Cooke, President and Founder, World Travel Awards, commented:

“We are excited to bring this year’s World Travel Awards European regional ceremony with such a lively line up of entertainment to Obidos, Portugal – a beautiful up and coming destination which has some inspiring developments in the pipeline for our guests to experience and discover”.
Portuguese travel companies have come together to pledge their support for this important event with sponsorship from Marriott Praia D’El Rey, TAP, Turismo Do Oeste Tourism and Bom Sucesso.

“We are delighted to have been chosen to host this prestigious event and we look forward to welcoming the travel industry’s key decision makers to Portugal’s Silver Coast later this month.” Commented Stuart Swycher, Chairman of the Beltico Group, which owns the Marriott Praia D’El Rey.

Log on to www.worldtravelawards.com for the complete list of nominations for the World Travel Awards European Ceremony 2009.

The spectacular event is followed by the World Travel Awards Grand Final which takes place at the five-star Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott hotel in London on 8 November, immediately before World Travel Market.
-ends-

Notes to Editors

About World Travel Awards
• The World Travel Awards were launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognize excellence in the world's travel and tourism industry.
• Now celebrating its 16th Anniversary, the awards are regarded as the very highest achievement that a travel product could ever hope to receive.
• Attended by senior executives from major travel companies, operators and destinations, WTA events are universally respected as providing established,
top-level networking opportunities, regionally and globally.

Log on to www.worldtravelawards.com for regular updated information

About Praia D’El Rey Golf & Beach Resort

Praia D’El Rey, only 50 minutes North of Lisbon’s international airport, has over 250, 000 visitors a year and the 230-hectare beachfront resort is already home to 900+ international residents, who own a range of beautiful villas and townhouses spread around the golf course and overlooking the white sandy beaches.

Over the last 10 years the resort has won many awards including Portugal’s Leading Resort at the World Travel Awards (2007 and 2008), Europe’s Leading Golf Resort of the Year from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (2007) and Homes Overseas Awards (2004, 2006 and 2008)

For more information please visit www.praia-del-rey.com or contact Sonia Dallott, Press Coordinator on +351 262 90 50 10

About TAP Portugal


TAP Portugal is a leading European airline and a member of Star Alliance. Its hub at Lisbon is a key European gateway and crossroads for Africa, North & South America, as well as serving over 37 destinations throughout Europe. TAP currently operates over 1,850 weekly flights utilising a modern fleet of 52 Airbus aircraft, in addition to 16 more aircraft operating as PGA, the European regional carrier acquired by TAP in 2007. TAP most recently joined some of its STAR alliance partners with a joint customer service and check-in facility at Heathrow Terminal 1, making it more convenient to connect flights for UK domestic flights with STAR partner, bmi.