Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa, located on Jamaica's beautiful south coast, is set to host travel and tourism’s biggest night of the year as the World Travel Awards brings The Americas Gala Ceremony to the Caribbean island resort on 22nd October.
Leading travel companies, operators and destinations from across North, Central, South America and the Caribbean will be united under one roof as they battle it out to see who will walk away with the coveted World Travel Awards trophy.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the World Travel Awards Americas Gala Ceremony at Sandals Whitehouse,” said Sandals Resorts Founder and Chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart. “This magnificent resort located in such a pristine setting as Jamaica’s stunning south coast, is the perfect backdrop to showcase the best that the region has to offer.”
Described as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’ by the Wall Street Journal, the event – now in its 17th year - is universally recognized as a major champion of excellent customer service, encouraging and inspiring products and services to improve business performance and innovation.
Voting has been taking place throughout the year for highly contended categories such as North America’s Leading Airline, South America’s Leading Destination, the Caribbean’s Leading Beach Resort and Central America’s Leading Hotel Brand. There are categories for each overall region as well as categories for individual countries.
John Lynch, Jamaica’s Director of Tourism, is pleased that the island was selected to host the event. “Jamaica is honored to be chosen as the host destination for the prestigious Americas gala of the 2010 World Travel Awards. We are confident that the event will showcase the destination to a global audience, demonstrating the reason Jamaica has enjoyed tremendous success over the years. We anticipate that this will serve as a precursor to the major event later this year, underscoring the fact that Jamaica, with its unrivalled offerings, attractions and easy access, is an ideal destination that caters to all travelers".
Graham E Cooke, Founder and President, World Travel Awards, added: “Jamaica is the perfect location to host this year’s Americas Event. We look forward to working with the team at Jamaica Tourist Board and Sandals Resorts for what I know will be an exciting evening for the tourism industry.
Bringing together North, South, Central America and the Caribbean will make for a thrilling ceremony and there will no doubt be a real competitive edge in the air that should make for some interesting results”.
Viewed as the ultimate achievement for any Americas company, more than 80 travel brands are competing to be the best.
Online voting is now underway and nominees are campaigning hard with agents and industry executives to win support. Log on to worldtravelawards.com and click on the VOTE button to participate.
Winners of the regional ceremony will then go on to compete in World Travel Awards 2010 Grand Final in London on Sunday 7 November, immediately before World Travel Market.
They will be up against some of the finest travel operators in the world, consistently demonstrating excellence in every aspect of their business.
In addition to the honor, prestige and global exposure of winning one of the awards, covering every sector of travel and tourism, World Travel Award winners enjoy considerable commercial benefits too.
Consumers, seeking peace of mind, are increasingly using the winners list as a reliable resource when choosing a holiday.
About World Travel Awards
The World Travel Awards was launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognise excellence in the world's travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 17th Anniversary, the awards is regarded as the very highest achievement that a travel product could ever hope to receive. Votes are cast by 183,000 travel professionals which include travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe.
Votes are cast globally by fellow industry professionals in over 1, 000 different categories.
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.
The World Travel Award’s official list of worldwide media partners includes: BBC World News, eTurboNews, Breaking Travel News, CNBC Arabiya, Khaleej Times, Trav Talk, Trade Arabia, TTN, Travel Daily News International, Focus on Travel News, New Focus Travel Magazine, Tourism Review, JAX FAX, Travel & Leisure, Travel & Leisure Golf, Xenios & Xenios World.
Contact
Lauren Brady, T: +44 020 7872 5643, E: lauren.brady@worldtravelawards.com
www.worldtravelawards.com
About the Jamaica Tourist Board
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. The JTB was declared the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist and Convention Bureau by the World Travel Awards (WTA) from 2006 to 2009, while Jamaica earned the WTA’s vote as the World’s Leading Cruise Destination, the Caribbean’s Leading Destination and the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination, for the third consecutive year.
JTB offices are located in Kingston, Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are located in Düsseldorf, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo.
For details on upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica go to the JTB’s Web site at www.visitjamaica.com , or call the Jamaica Tourist Board at 1-800-JAMAICA (1-800-526-2422). Follow the JTB on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jamaica, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/visitjamaicanow or on YouTube at www.youtube.com/aboutjamaicajtb.
About Sandals Resorts
Sandals Resorts has earned a worldwide reputation for providing two people in love with the most romantic vacation experience in the Caribbean. Currently, there are 14 Luxury Included® Sandals Resorts located in Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia and The Bahamas. Each offers stunning beachfront locations; a choice of à la carte restaurants, from white-glove dining to barefoot elegance; all premium brand wine and spirits, including an exclusive partnership with California's legendary Beringer Vineyards; luxurious accommodations in a range of categories; unrivalled water sports including the Caribbean's largest PADI certification program; Butler Service for truly indulgent pampering; Sandals Weddings by Martha StewartTM; and signature Red Lane® Spas, with services and treatments inspired by the region. In February 2010, Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas made its debut, offering 183 all-butler service rooms and suites, an 18-hole championship Greg Norman -designed golf course and 150 slip marina.
Sandals Resorts has set the industry standard for the Luxury Included® vacation and has been voted the Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand at the World Travel Awards for 16 years in a row, and World's Leading All-Inclusive Company for 14 years in a row. For more information, call your local travel agent or 1-800-Sandals (1-800-726-3257) or visit www.sandals.com.