AFP: AFP

India saw off competition from London, New York, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney to take the award, the most prestigious handed out at the event, which is itself the most high-profile in the tourism calendar.

Etihad Airways was judged world's leading airline for the third year running, seeing off a host of competitors including KLM, Lufthansa, British Aiways, Singapore Airlines, Qatar and Virgin Atlantic.

The world's best new hotel was Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, which took the award from illustrious competitors such as the Mandarin Oriental Paris, the towering Ritz Carlton Hong Kong and the ultra-modern W Hotel London in Leicester Square.

For those looking for a skiing break, Gstaad Palace in Switzerland was recognized as the world's best ski resort, while the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa, Antigua was selected as the most romantic resort.

Jumeirah Zabeel Saray in Dubai was recognized as the world's leading spa resort, while Universal Orlando picked up World's Leading Theme Resort.

Other winners in the ceremony, which saw some 146 awards handed out, included Royal Caribbean (World's Leading Cruise Line), easyJet (World's Leading Low-Cost Airline), The Blue Train (World's Leading Luxury Train) and Korean Air (World's Most Innovative Airline).

The awards are the culmination of a year of regional heats, with winners chosen by travel agents from around the world.