At a Gala Ceremony on a red carpet in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the most prestigious travel brands from Asia and Oceania were revealed. World Travel Awards (WTA) Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony 2023 drew industry leaders from across the region to the captivating city to discover who among them had been crowned the best.
Evening on the red carpet at the GEM Centre marked the second leg of the WTA’s 30th anniversary Grand Tour 2023 – a global quest for the best travel and tourism organisations.
Vietnam received the title of ‘Asia’s Leading Destination’ due to its abundance of natural marvels and its world-class hospitality. The gorgeous province of Ha Giang has been dubbed “Asia’s Leading Emerging Tourist Destination.” Hanoi won the award for ‘Asia’s Leading City Destination,’ while Ho Chi Minh City earned the award for ‘Asia’s Leading Business Travel Destination. The Philippines were recognised as ‘Asia’s Leading Dive Destination. Indonesia has compiled ‘Asia’s Leading Beach Destination’.
Australia’s status as ‘Oceania’s Leading Destination’ and Melbourne’s as ‘Oceania’s Leading City Destination’ are a testament to the continent’s reputation as the country of plenty. Fiji Tourism raised the trophy for ‘Oceania’s Leading Tourist Board’.
Graham Cooke, founder of the World Travel Awards, states, “It has been a privilege to continue our 30th anniversary celebrations in Ho Chi Minh City, which has hosted a magnificent ceremony featuring the leading lights of travel from Asia and Oceania. Our winners are stellar examples of tourism excellence, and I congratulate each and every one for helping to raise the collective benchmark”.
The ‘Asia’s Leading Lifestyle Resort’ award went to Shilla Monogram Quangnam Danang. Hotel de la Coupole MGallery was voted ‘Asia’s Leading Design Hotel’, while the timeless elegance of Raffles Singapore won the ultimate hospitality honour for ‘Asia’s Leading Hotel’. SOJO Hotel won “Asia’s Leading Lifestyle Hotel Brand,” while China’s Spring City Golf & Lake Resort won “Asia’s Leading Sustainable Resort.”
In Oceania, The Residence @ The George Christchurch was awarded ‘Oceania’s Leading Luxury Hotel Villa’ and Millbrook Resort, New Zealand was named ‘Oceania’s Leading Hotel’.
In the newcomer categories, Singapore’s Pacific Orchard won ‘Asia’s Leading New Hotel,’ Ana Mandara Cam Ranh won ‘Asia’s Leading New Resort,’ and The Langham, Gold Coast won ‘Oceania’s Leading New Hotel.
In the aviation industry, Singapore Airlines was recognised as ‘Asia’s Leading Airline,’ while Vietnam Airlines was recognised as ‘Asia’s Leading Airline – Economy Class. AirAsia accumulated the titles ‘Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline’ and ‘Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew’. The new category for ‘Asia’s Leading Airline – Customer Experience’ was won by Vietjet Air. The title “Asia’s Leading Airport” was given to Hong Kong International Airport. Oceania’s award recipients included Air New Zealand and Melbourne Airport.
Winners included Vietravel (‘Asia’s Leading Tour Operator,’) Abercrombie & Kent (‘Oceania’s Leading Tour Operator,’) and Sun Group (‘Asia’s Leading Integrated Tourism Company,’).
Find a complete roster of winners on the WTA website. Website: http://www.worldtravelawards.com
