WTA to host first ceremony in Kenya in September 2012
12 April 2012 - London & Nairobi
World Travel Awards (WTA) has announced plans to host its first ceremony in Kenya, reflecting the African nation’s continuing evolution into a world-class tourism destination.
WTA’s Africa & Indian Ocean Ceremony 2012 will take place in Nairobi on 26th September 2012, with the most important decision-makers in the region’s travel and tourism sector scheduled to attend.
The event will be co-hosted alongside the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), a two-day conference (25-26th September) that will showcase the hospitality investment potential of Africa’s fastest growing nations.
The WTA organisers highlighted how Nairobi is rapidly emerging into one of Africa’s key hubs for business and leisure.
Graham E. Cooke, President & Founder, WTA, says: “The selection of our hosts is fundamental to the success of our awards programme, and Nairobi possesses all the ingredients to rise to the challenge of hosting our Africa & Indian Ocean Ceremony – a vibrant and progressive city, brimming with opportunity.”
“Tourism is fundamental to Kenya’s economy, contributing 12 percent to its GDP and creating one in ten jobs. The future is exceptionally bright given the nation’s overwhelming natural resources, most notably its unrivalled collection of wildlife and its paradise beaches.
New airlift from the likes of Etihad Airways will facilitate this growth. Kenya also serves as a blueprint of how to develop tourism in a sustainable way,” he adds.
Matthew Weihs, Managing Director, Bench Events, says: “We are delighted to announce that both the Africa Hotel Investment Forum and World Travel Awards will take place in Nairobi in September. It’s very important that we join these leading events together to underline the growing importance and overall influence Africa has on the world tourism stage.”
The WTA ceremony marks the culmination of a year-long search for the very best travel and tourism brands in Africa and the Indian Ocean. Organisations in contention include South African Airways, &Beyond, Air Mauritius, Le Touessrok and Soneva Fushi Resort & Spa.
WTA’s 2012 Grand Tour also includes regional legs in Dubai (Middle East Ceremony), Turks & Caicos (Caribbean & The Americas Ceremony), Algarve, Portugal (Europe Ceremony) and Singapore (Asia & Australasia Ceremony). The winners of these regional heats will progress to WTA’s Grand Final, which will take place at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, New Delhi, India on 12th December 2012.
To download WTA logos visit: www.worldtravelawards.com/logo and for images of AHIF and Kenya go to: www.worldtravelawards.com/downloads/zip/2012africa.zip
– ENDS –
Notes to Editors
About World Travel Awards
WTA was launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognise excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 19th anniversary, it is regarded as the very highest achievement that a travel product can receive.
Main partners include BBC World News, TV5MONDE, Qatar Tourism Authority, Turismo do Algarve, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Jebel Ali International, the Jamaica Tourist Board, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, World.mobi, Sandals Resorts and WeClickMedia.
WTA’s global media partner network includes: International Herald Tribune, National Geographic Traveller, CNBC Arabiya, Khaleej Times, Trade Arabia, TTN, ABTA Magazine, Publituris, ASTA Network, Breaking Travel News, Trav Talk, Travel Daily News, Focus on Travel News, New Focus Travel Magazine, Xenios, Tourism Review, JAX FAX, Passport Magazine, and Travel & Leisure China.
This global media partner network has a monthly readership of 1.5 million and a TV audience reach of 90 million.
For more info about World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Ceremony & bookings visit: www.worldtravelawards.com/africa2012
For further WTA press info contact Anton Santos:
t: +44 (0)20 7925 0000;
e: [email protected];
w: www.worldtravelawards.com
About Bench Events
AHIF is organised by Bench Events, one of the founders and co-organisers of several well-known conferences for the hotel investment industry including Berlin (IHIF), Dubai (AHIC), Istanbul (CATHIC) and Moscow (RHIC). www.benchevents.com
For further info and hi-res images, contact Jennifer Pettinger, Event Manager
t: +971 5588 40145
e: [email protected]; or
David Tarsh, Tarsh Consulting
t: +44 (0) 20 7602 5262,
m: +44 (0) 7770 816 070
e: [email protected].
WTA’s Africa & Indian Ocean Ceremony 2012 will take place in Nairobi on 26th September 2012, with the most important decision-makers in the region’s travel and tourism sector scheduled to attend.
The event will be co-hosted alongside the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), a two-day conference (25-26th September) that will showcase the hospitality investment potential of Africa’s fastest growing nations.
The WTA organisers highlighted how Nairobi is rapidly emerging into one of Africa’s key hubs for business and leisure.
Graham E. Cooke, President & Founder, WTA, says: “The selection of our hosts is fundamental to the success of our awards programme, and Nairobi possesses all the ingredients to rise to the challenge of hosting our Africa & Indian Ocean Ceremony – a vibrant and progressive city, brimming with opportunity.”
“Tourism is fundamental to Kenya’s economy, contributing 12 percent to its GDP and creating one in ten jobs. The future is exceptionally bright given the nation’s overwhelming natural resources, most notably its unrivalled collection of wildlife and its paradise beaches.
New airlift from the likes of Etihad Airways will facilitate this growth. Kenya also serves as a blueprint of how to develop tourism in a sustainable way,” he adds.
Matthew Weihs, Managing Director, Bench Events, says: “We are delighted to announce that both the Africa Hotel Investment Forum and World Travel Awards will take place in Nairobi in September. It’s very important that we join these leading events together to underline the growing importance and overall influence Africa has on the world tourism stage.”
The WTA ceremony marks the culmination of a year-long search for the very best travel and tourism brands in Africa and the Indian Ocean. Organisations in contention include South African Airways, &Beyond, Air Mauritius, Le Touessrok and Soneva Fushi Resort & Spa.
WTA’s 2012 Grand Tour also includes regional legs in Dubai (Middle East Ceremony), Turks & Caicos (Caribbean & The Americas Ceremony), Algarve, Portugal (Europe Ceremony) and Singapore (Asia & Australasia Ceremony). The winners of these regional heats will progress to WTA’s Grand Final, which will take place at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, New Delhi, India on 12th December 2012.
To download WTA logos visit: www.worldtravelawards.com/logo and for images of AHIF and Kenya go to: www.worldtravelawards.com/downloads/zip/2012africa.zip
– ENDS –
Notes to Editors
About World Travel Awards
WTA was launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognise excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 19th anniversary, it is regarded as the very highest achievement that a travel product can receive.
Main partners include BBC World News, TV5MONDE, Qatar Tourism Authority, Turismo do Algarve, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Jebel Ali International, the Jamaica Tourist Board, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, World.mobi, Sandals Resorts and WeClickMedia.
WTA’s global media partner network includes: International Herald Tribune, National Geographic Traveller, CNBC Arabiya, Khaleej Times, Trade Arabia, TTN, ABTA Magazine, Publituris, ASTA Network, Breaking Travel News, Trav Talk, Travel Daily News, Focus on Travel News, New Focus Travel Magazine, Xenios, Tourism Review, JAX FAX, Passport Magazine, and Travel & Leisure China.
This global media partner network has a monthly readership of 1.5 million and a TV audience reach of 90 million.
For more info about World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Ceremony & bookings visit: www.worldtravelawards.com/africa2012
For further WTA press info contact Anton Santos:
t: +44 (0)20 7925 0000;
e: [email protected];
w: www.worldtravelawards.com
About Bench Events
AHIF is organised by Bench Events, one of the founders and co-organisers of several well-known conferences for the hotel investment industry including Berlin (IHIF), Dubai (AHIC), Istanbul (CATHIC) and Moscow (RHIC). www.benchevents.com
For further info and hi-res images, contact Jennifer Pettinger, Event Manager
t: +971 5588 40145
e: [email protected]; or
David Tarsh, Tarsh Consulting
t: +44 (0) 20 7602 5262,
m: +44 (0) 7770 816 070
e: [email protected].
