Leading travel brands and tourism organisations from Asia, Australasia & Indian Ocean region will vie for top honours at the upcoming "World Travel Awards 2012," (Oscars of the travel industry) ceremony to be held in Singapore.

The WTA highlights and rewards those travel brands that have made the greatest contribution to the industry over the past year, said the organisers.

The red-carpet event takes place at InterContinental Singapore tomorrow (October 18). With the votes already counted and the trophies polished for the big evening, Singapore steps up to host one of the most important evenings of the year for travel and tourism, said the organisers.

Hundreds of senior travel decision-makers from across the region will be attending the ceremony.

The likes of Mandarin Oriental, Banyan Tree, Cathay Pacific Airways, The Ritz-Carlton, Le Touessrok Mauritius and Tourism New Zealand are among the brands nominated for the prestigious awards programme.

The must-attend ceremony is being held in partnership with TravelRave, Asia’s most influential travel trade festival, and will include a gala dinner, top entertainment, as well as the presentation of the coveted awards.

"We are delighted to host our first ceremony in Singapore, a decision which reflects its standing as one of the most dynamic destinations in the world," said Graham E. Cooke, the president & founder of WTA.

 “Our partnership with TravelRave is a perfect match. Since its debut in 2010, TravelRave has quickly established itself as the definitive platform for Asia’s travel leaders to maximise the tourism potential of the region."

"WTA will offer these senior decision-makers a unique opportunity to savour and celebrate their achievements of the past year with their industry peers. I look forward to finding out which organisations will make it on to the winner’s podium tomorrow," he added.

Singapore Tourism Board said it was excited about the added dimension this prestigious awards programme will bring to TravelRave’s mix.

“Singapore is honoured to partner World Travel Awards to host the prestigious Asia, Australasia & Indian Ocean Ceremony 2012. In recognising excellence in the travel and tourism industry, the awards ceremony sets off the spirit of TravelRave in sharing best practices, celebrating our successes, and motivating our travel partners to collaborate for the future,” remarked Andrew Phua, the director, Exhibitions & Conferences, Singapore Tourism Board.

Other key events taking place under the TravelRave umbrella include ITB Asia, Asia Travel Leaders Summit, Web In Travel, Tourism Destination Investment Conference Asia, Hotel Technology Conference, and Aviation Outlook Asia.

WTA’s Asia, Australasia & Indian Ocean Ceremony 2012 marks the final regional leg of WTA’s Grand Tour, a global search for the world’s leading travel brands, which also includes regional heats in Dubai, Singapore, Turks & Caicos and Portugal.

The winners of these legs will then go head-to-head at WTA’s Grand Final, which takes place at The Oberoi, Gurgaon, India on December 12.-TradeArabia News Service