Doha All Set For World Travel Awards Ceremony At Katara Today

Online, January 10, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The World Travel Awards, founded in 1993, to acknowledge and recognise excellence in the global travel and tourism industry, are hailed as "the Oscars of the travel industry". The Gala Ceremony shall mark the end of a year long process aimed at acknowledging the best brands in the travel and tourism industry in the world.

World Travel Awards (WTA) and World Awards Qatar has partnered with the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) for the Grand Final Gala Ceremony. The leaders in global travel and tourism shall attend the ceremony.

Dr. Naseer Homoud, CEO of the World Awards Qatar, the organizer and the host sponsor of the event, has said that Qatar is fast becoming a great destination for business and travel and the World Travel Awards ceremony at Doha is a proof of this fact.

He further said that Qatar has already won to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and is planning to bid for the 2017 World Athletic Championships and the 2020 Olympics. "Given Qatar's great achievement in winning the hosting rights for the FIFA World Cup in 2022, the World Travel Awards is honoring Qatar's achievement in taking the tourism, travel and hospitality industry to new heights in the Middle East and the world", he said.

Dr. Homoud hoped that the WTA event at Katara Cultural Village shall greatly enhance Qatar's stature in the tourism industry and would reap great dividends.

Mr. Ahmed Al Nuaimi, the Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) said the choice of Doha to host WTA's Grand Final reflects the country's growing importance and stature in the industry. He said that QTA support to the Gala Ceremony would make it the best ever.

Mr. Ahmed Al Nuaimi said, "The staging of the ceremony in Doha is an illustration of the confidence the travel and tourism industry has in Qatar as well as the potential it has to develop further."

Detailing progress for development of tourism infrastructure in Qatar, Mr. Ahmed Al Nuaimi said that the State had allocated more the US$25 billion for the development of tourism infrastructure in preparation for the 2022 World Cup.

"WTA's Grand Final forms part of our country's growing roster of world-class events, ranging from art and music to sport and travel", Dr. Nuaimi added.

Graham Cooke, the president and founder of World Travel Awards said "as one of the most progressive nations in the world, Qatar will prove a fitting host, and our ceremony will provide an excellent opportunity for the captains of travel and tourism to experience first-hand the incredible array of projects happening there."

Many Qatari travel and tourism organizations have been nominated under various categories. These include: nomination of Doha as "World's Leading Business Travel Destination", "World's Leading Sports Tourism Destination", Qatar Airways under "World's Leading Airline", Qatari Diar, under "World's Leading Tourism Property Developer", and Regency Travel & Tours under the "Middle East's Leading Travel Agency".