Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which manages and promotes the tourism industry of the largest of the seven emirates which make up the United Arab Emirates, has taken the 2009 World Travel Award for the Middle East’s Leading Destination Marketing Campaign.

The award, presented to ADTA’s Deputy Director General Ahmed Hussein at a gala ceremony in Dubai, was for the authority’s Traveller’s Welcome campaign which has been rolled out over the past 18 months to targeted media and trade across ADTA’s key target markets.

“The value of this award rests in the fact that it resulted from an industry poll – being recognised by our industry peers greatly encourages us,” said Hussein. “Although the award has been made to the authority it belongs to all in the destination who have delivered on the inherent promise of excellence in hospitality that ‘Traveller’s Welcome’ holds out.”

The World Travel Awards this year saw 170,000 trade professional voting – the largest in the awards’ nine-year history.

And Abu Dhabi as a destination was a star of the evening with nine tourism industry stakeholders in the emirate bagging honours. Safar Travel & Tourism was voted the Middle East’s Leading Business Travel Agency; Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre took the award for the region’s ‘Leading Exhibition Centre;’ Emirates Palace was voted the region’s Leading Conference Resort and Abu Dhabi’s Leading Hotel; the Millenium Hotel Abu Dhabi took the award for the capital’s Leading Business Hotel; Shangri-Las Hotel Qaryat Al Beri was named Abu Dhabi’s Leading Beach Resort; the Abu Dhabi-headquartered Rotana took the Middle East’s Leading Hotel Brand award; Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC) was honoured for Saadiyat Island as the ‘Leading Tourism Development Project while Royal Jet was voted the ‘Middle East’s Leading Private Jet Charter.’

But the shining star of the evening was undoubtedly the Abu Dhabi-headquartered national airline of the UAE – Etihad Airways. It took a total of five regional awards, named: Leading Airline; Leading Airline Lounge Abu Dhabi; Leading First Class; Leading Airline Website; Leading International Marketing Campaign.

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