World Travel Awards (WTA), the “Oscars of the travel industry”, has announced it will host its 2011 Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Doha, Qatar on December 11.

The glittering ceremony will be staged at W Doha Hotel & Residences and will attract the most important decision-makers in global travel and tourism.

The evening marks the culmination of a year-long search for the very best travel and tourism brands in the world, and will feature the winners from WTA’s regional heats competing head to head.

WTA’s 2011 regional heats included Middle East Ceremony (Dubai, UAE), Europe Ceremony (Antalya, Turkey), Africa & Indian Ocean Ceremony (Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt), Asia & Australasia (Bangkok, Thailand), and Caribbean & The Americas (Montego Bay, Jamaica).

After a rigorous selection procedure, Qatar was chosen as the host of WTA’s 2011 Grand Final Gala Ceremony, reflecting the Arabian nation’s rapid emergence as a tourism hotspot, and sport tourism in particular, a statement said.

W Doha Hotel & Residences exemplifies Qatar’s leading edge approach to design and luxury lifestyle. Guests can enjoy a tantalizing menu of personalised services on the banks of the Arabian Gulf. Features include 291 guest rooms and suites, 154 residences, gourmet restaurants, a poolside shisha lounge, champagne bar and luxury retail outlets.

Graham E Cooke, president and founder, World Travel Awards, said: “We are delighted to host our 2011 Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Qatar as it is such an exciting place to be right now. The country is investing $25 billion in tourism infrastructure in the build up to the 2022 Fifa World Cup, giving rise to incredible opportunities within the luxury sector.”

“Our Grand Final will see the winners of our five regional heats, who represent the cream of the global travel and tourism industry, compete head to head for the ultimate travel accolade.”

“Winning a World Travel Award is an endorsement from the thousands of professionals across the globe, and a gold seal of approval to the consumer of travel excellence guaranteed,” he added. - TradeArabia News Service