North East England has won a competitive bid to host the first ever World Travel Awards Europe in October 2007. The event will take place at The Sage Gateshead on 9 October 2007, attracting around 500 travel professionals and media from across Europe and the rest of the world.

The announcement was made today at the World Travel Market exhibition at Excel in London by Stacy Hall, Director of Communications at One NorthEast, and World Travel Awards President, Graham Cooke.

The news comes hot on the heels of North East England winning the title of ‘World’s Leading Regional Marketing Campaign’ for the second year running in the awards, now recognised as the most comprehensive in the travel industry.

The awards will form part of a two-day event comprising the World Travel CEO Forum and golf tournament, and culminating in the gala ceremony at which the winners in all European categories will be announced.

As the event programme includes familiarisation tours of the region, the awards provide an excellent opportunity for influential members of the travel industry and media to discover North East England for themselves.

Speaking about the awards, Stacy Hall, Director of Communications at One NorthEast, said: “North East England has been successful in the World Awards for two years running. To now win this opportunity to host the new European Awards is further recognition of the region’s standing within the travel industry and an accolade of which we can all be proud.

“Most importantly, the event provides North East England with a valuable opportunity to demonstrate in exuberant style why it has become a serious contender in the tourism industry and is fast gaining a reputation as a ‘must see’ destination.”

Graham Cooke, President of the World Travel Awards, said:
“We have been very impressed by the progress North East England has made in raising people’s understanding of what the region has to offer through the ‘Passionate people. Passionate places’ campaign. The campaign has certainly worked on us, and I am very much looking forward to working with the team at One NorthEast to make the first European leg of the World Travel Awards a highly memorable event, brimming with that famous North East hospitality.”

Winners of World Travel Awards Europe will go on to compete in the World Awards to be held in Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean on 12 December 2007. 

Other regional awards ceremonies will be held in Abhu Dhabi (Middle East and Africa) from 27-29 March 2007, Miami (The Americas) from 17-19 June 2007 and Bali (Asia, Indian Ocean and Australasia) from 25-28 September 2007.

Anthony Sargent, General Director, The Sage Gateshead said:
“Increasingly the international facilities of The Sage Gateshead are enabling the region to capture major world events that haven’t previously been here, and we’ve been delighted to work closely with One NorthEast to win the European Leg of the hugely prestigious 2007 World Travel Awards - a real coup for the region.”

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of NewcastleGateshead Initiative said:
“This is further evidence of how NewcastleGateshead and North East England have become recognised as a world class leisure and conference destination. Who would have thought 10 years ago that we would be hosting the World Summit on Arts and Culture and the World Travel Awards?”

Established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate achievements across all sectors of the global travel industry, the World Travel Awards are especially coveted because the votes are cast globally by fellow professionals within the travel industry.

Over the last 13 years, travel professionals and their clients have come to regard the World Travel Awards as the best endorsement that any travel product can receive.
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