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21 October 2009 - ehotelier.com

Europcar, Adam & Eve Hotels, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Virgin Atlantic Airways were amongst companies who triumphed during the World Travel Awards European regional ceremony, staged in the luxurious Marriott Praia D'El Rey in Portugal on 17th October.



The awards, described by the Wall Street Journal as the ‘Oscars' of the global travel and tourism industry, revealed who are the ‘best of the best' in the region.



In the Europe categories, Lufthansa won the title Europe's Leading Airline and Marriott Hotels Resorts & Suites won Europe's Leading Hotel Brand. Meanwhile Europe's Leading Destination went to Lisbon, Portugal, Carlson Wagonlit Travel took home the award for Europe's Leading Travel Management Company while Viajes Iberia won the title of Europe's Leading Travel Agency. Virgin Atlantic Airways won Europe's Leading Marketing Campaign for their '25 Years Still Red Hot' campaign. A number of national category awards were also presented throughout the evening.



Increasingly, the awards are known as raising the bar for ultimate customer service and overall business performance. Growing numbers of travel companies, airlines, operators and resorts compete to walk away with one of the coveted titles. Organisers say research has shown that winners increase international brand recognition, building consumer loyalty.



Nearly 1500 travel companies were nominated in 177 categories in the prestigious ceremony, held in partnership with Marriott Praia D'El Rey, Bom Sucesso, TAP Portugal and Turismo Do Oeste. Senior management and decision makers of Europe's travel and tourism industry came together to celebrate their achievements during the ceremony.



Graham Cooke, President, World Travel Awards commented: "The past 12 months have brought several challenges, namely the economic downturn and the outbreak of swine flu, which has impacted travel and tourism worldwide; today's winners have remained focused on their long term objectives, and continued to deliver above and beyond the call of duty, setting an industry example."



Throughout the evening, winners were presented with their prestigious awards by key industry figures, with live entertainment which included performances from disco legend George McCrae and international comedian and actor Bobby Davro hosted the evening.



These inspirational organisations will continue to reap profile and commercial benefits over the next year.
Cooke explained: "This year's winners can display the official World Travel Awards symbol with pride on their sales and marketing literature, offering travellers a cast-iron assurance that what they are buying is a guarantee of travel excellence."



Each winner has automatically been put forward for the spectacular WTA Grand Final which will take place at the five-star Grosvenor House, a JW Marriott Hotel in London on November 8th immediately before World Travel Market.




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.



About Marriott Praia D'El Rey



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.

Source: ehotelier.com

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