World Travel Awards, “the Oscars of the travel industry”, has unveiled the regional nominees for its 2012 programme.

Organisations from Africa and the Indian Ocean in contention include South African Airways, & Beyond, Air Mauritius, Le Touessrok and Soneva Fushi Resort & Spa.

All will now go head to head at WTA’s Africa & Indian Ocean Ceremony, which is set to take place in Nairobi, Kenya on September 26th 2012.

The number of organisations self nominating in 2012 has increased by 17 per cent year-on-year, reflecting the growing awareness of the global coverage and commercial benefits that accompany WTA success.

Online voting has now opened and WTA’s organisers are urging both the travel trade and the public to vote for their favourite travel brands.

World Travel Awards president Graham Cooke said: “As the tension surrounding the regional ceremonies builds, we are looking forward to revealing the leading players and tracking their progress as they head to our Grand Final 2012 in December.

“In these times of global economic austerity, the ability to pinpoint quality travel products remains paramount to both business and consumer travellers.

“Winning a World Travel Award is a brand’s gold seal of travel excellence, which is why our 2012 programme has attracted a record number of nominees,” he added.

More than 5,000 organisations from 162 countries will compete in travel and tourism’s most influential awards programme.

More than 900 categories cover all aspects of the industry from airlines and cruise ships to ski resorts and new luxury hotels.

WTA’s 2012 Grand Tour includes regional legs in Dubai (Middle East Ceremony), Turks & Caicos (Caribbean & The Americas Ceremony), Nairobi, Kenya (Africa & Indian Ocean Ceremony), The Algarve, Portugal (Europe Ceremony) and Singapore (Asia & Australasia Ceremony).

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.

Log on to the official website to see the full list of nominees.

To vote for your favourite travel brand take a look here.