Nominees for the annual World Travel Awards (WTA) Europe Gala Ceremony have been confirmed ahead of the event in October.

Described as the ultimate achievement for any European tourism organisation, more than 1,000 travel brands will compete for the coveted prizes.

Regional winners will then go forward to compete in the World Travel Awards 2010 Grand Final in London, when they will be up against some of the finest travel operators in the world, consistently demonstrating excellence in every aspect of their business.

WTA president Graham Cooke said: “Europe in particular is always highly contested.

“After a rigorous selection procedure, successful nominees must now continue to demonstrate what exactly it is that sets them apart from the rest.

“Nominees will now focus on a hard-fought campaign, canvassing industry professionals for their support.”

Now in its 17th year, World Travel Awards is a major driver of supreme quality standards within the global travel and tourism industry, encouraging excellence in everything from product innovation, creativity and staff training to customer service and overall performance.

The European nominees are among 5,000 nominated companies, including airlines, cruise companies, destinations, resorts and hotels in over 160 countries.

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

Europcar, Adam & Eve Hotels, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Virgin Atlantic Airways were among companies who triumphed during the World Travel Awards European regional ceremony last year.

In the Europe categories, Lufthansa won the award for Europe’s Leading Airline and Marriott Hotels Resorts & Suites took the coveted title of Europe’s Leading Hotel Brand.

Meanwhile Europe’s Leading Destination went to Lisbon, Portugal.

Winners of this years Europe Ceremony will be announced at the Rixos Premium Belek, located in Antalya, Turkey – the pearl of the Mediterranean on Friday October 1st.

The exclusive-all Inclusive luxury beach resort guarantees the very highest standards and has resulted in the resort being nominated for Europe’s Leading Resort, Turkey’s Leading Beach Resort and Leading Hotel in this year’s World Travel Awards.

To vote online log on to the WTA website.