World Travel Awards is issuing a final call for all those organisations aspiring to be recognised as the best in travel in 2011. Travel and tourism brands looking to be considered for one of these prestigious awards have just one week left to meet the self nomination deadline.

Last year saw an unprecedented number of organisations battling it out to gain one of the highly-coveted World Travel Awards trophies, with a 50 percent rise in self nominations. The momentum going into 2011 is equally strong as the “Oscars of the travel industry” goes from strength to strength.

(Above: Regine Sixt of Sixt celebrates at 2010 World Travel Awards)

Previous winners have realised the commercial benefits and kudos that accompanies winning a World Travel Award. The competition to retain their titles in 2011 is expected to be fiercer than ever, given the quality of new properties entering the market, coupled with existing ones raising their game.

(World Travel Awards 2010 Grand Final, hosted at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel)

Entry is now open for categories in Africa, Asia, Australasia, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Indian Ocean, Middle East, North America, South America, Travel Technology and World.

Nomination submission deadline will be Friday 4th February.

The complete nomination’s list will be announced in time for ITB in March. Voting will then open and be carried out by an audience of 183,000 travel agents and tourism professionals from 164 countries, as well as visitors to World Travel Awards website who are encouraged to submit their votes via the online voting system.

To find out more about the self nomination process visit www.worldtravelawards.com. The entry form can be completed online or downloaded from www.worldtravelawards.com/entry2011.

The World Travel Awards was launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognise excellence in the world’s travel and tourism industry.

Now celebrating its 18th anniversary, the awards is regarded as the very highest achievement that a travel product could ever hope to receive.

(Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica; Adam Stewart, CEO, Sandals Resorts and Beaches; Graham Cooke, President & Founder, World Travel Awards; John Lynch, Director of Tourism / Chairman of JTB, Jamaica Tourist Board celebrate Sandals winning “World’s Leading All-Inclusive Company”)

Votes are cast by 183,000 travel professionals which include travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe.

Votes are cast globally by fellow industry professionals in over 1,000 different categories.

Attended by senior executives from major travel companies, operators and destinations, WTA events are universally respected as providing established, top level networking opportunities, regionally and globally.