World Travel Awards (WTA), the “Oscars of the travel industry”, has announced plans to host its Middle East ceremony at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa in Dubai on April 30.

The evening will mark the opening leg of WTA’s 2012 Grand Tour, a global search for the very best travel and tourism organisations in the world, covering five continents with nominees drawn from 162 countries, said a statement.

WTA’s Middle East ceremony will be held in Dubai for the fifth year in succession, underscoring how the emirate is driving travel trends not just in the region but throughout the world, it said.

Located close to Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa is home to a breathtaking range of attractions, including an 800-metre palm-lined private beach, championship golf course, horse-riding stables and diving centre.

Graham E Cooke, president and founder, WTA, believes that the selection of hosts is fundamental to the success of the world’s most influential travel awards programme.

He said: “I am delighted that we will be retuning to Dubai for what promises to be the most exciting and competitive Middle East ceremony yet. The emirate is a hotbed of fresh ideas being put into practice, as exemplified by our host, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa.”

Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa is the flagship resort of Jebel Ali International Hotels, and consists of two five-star properties, Palm Tree Court & Spa, which has recently undergone a full refurbishment, and Jebel Ali Hotel, which offers views over the Arabian Gulf and a championship-standard nine-hole golf course.

David Thomson, regional general manager, Jebel Ali Internationals Hotels, said he is delighted to host WTA’s Middle East ceremony. “World Travel Awards is the highest global recognition in the travel industry and we’re thrilled that the winners will celebrate at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa. After our success earlier in the year, winning ‘World’s Leading Family Resort’, we’re keen to show our Middle East colleagues the changes we’ve made at the resort that justify this prestigious award. At Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa we pride ourselves on being a family resort and are constantly reinventing the offering in order to push the boundaries of travel excellence,” he said.

WTA’s glittering Middle East Ceremony 2012 will attract more than 400 of the most important decision-makers in the region’s travel and tourism sector, as well as a host of international media. The evening coincides with Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (April 28-30 April) and Arabian Travel Market (April 30 – May 3), which are both taking place in Dubai.

Other regional heats in WTA’s Grand Tour 2012 are set to take place in the Algarve, Thailand and Turks & Caicos. The winners of these regional heats will progress to the Grand Final, which will take place at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, New Delhi, India in December, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service