Leading players in the hospitality industry across the Mena region will be honoured at the 8th edition of the annual "Mena Travel Awards" on the sidelines of the upcoming Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai.

The 'Mena Travel Award' gala night will take place once again on May 8 at The Meydan Hotel in Dubai. The award program is being organized by hospitality consultancy CHA International under the supervision of its president and CEO Dr Sam Saker.

Announcing the details at a press conference, Dr Saker said the number of participants this year has exceeded the 1000 enrollments of the following industry sectors: Hotels, Golf Clubs, Fine Dining, Health Clubs and SPA’s, Best Rent-a-car, Best Tourism Project, Best Governmental Organization overseeing tourism."

It was attended by Hussam Tantawi, the director of Business Development of CHA International, Craig Senior, the regional director of sales and marketing, Meydan Hospitality Group and Muin Serhan, the general manager, Millennium Plaza Hotel Dubai.

He pointed out that the number of votes received this year from the hotel guests/end users has risen to over 300,000 thus registering an increase of over 10,000 votes over last year. The voting took place during the period from February 1 to April 3.

"What makes these awards so important is that they cover all key travel and hospitality industry sectors” explained Dr Saker.

“It also acknowledges the tremendous breadth the whole industry offers today and its continued aims towards excellence of both service and product quality in the region,” he stated.

Dr Saker said the event was an exceptional one this year as the National Council of Tourism & Antiquities had signed up as its official sponsor.

Mohammed Khamis Ben Hareb Almuhairi, the director general of the National Council of Tourism & Antiquities said the sponsorship and the support of this year's award was aimed at creating a competitive edge for all of the different award categories while providing the highest level of service, which exceeds the guests’ and visitors expectations.

Muin Serhan said Millennium Plaza Hotel’s participation this year took place via their team’s vision of implementing the highest possible level of service and standards which the will continue enhancing on a daily basis, while making their guests’ comments and feedbacks their highest priority.-TradeArabia News Service