Avis Rent A Car was recognized by more than 160,000 travel professionals as “North America’s Leading Car Hire” at the regional World Travel Awards for the Americas, held recently in Orlando, Fla. The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in the world’s travel and tourism industry.

“We appreciate the recognition of the international travel community as North America’s Leading Car Hire,” said Tom Gartland, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Avis Budget Group, parent company of Avis.

“This honor is a tribute to the thousands of employees who try harder every day for our customers,” he said. “The award also recognizes our commitment to travel professionals and their educational development. Our industry-leading Club Red travel partner rewards program and our Avis Agent training program gives travel agents all the tools and resources they need to be successful.”

“Thousands of votes are cast by experienced travel professionals around the world,” said Graham Cooke, president and founder of the World Travel Awards. “The World Travel Awards are regarded as the highest achievement in the travel industry and to be recognized by these individuals demonstrates Avis’ excellence and achievements.”

In addition to providing travel professionals with educational opportunities to help them better service their clients, Avis offers an extensive suite of products and services to help customers save time and maximize their productivity.

Avis recently launched its newest version of where2® GPS navigation system. The new, slimmer unit based on Garmin’s nüvi 780 model, features a larger, high-brightness display screen, turn-by-turn directions spoken in more than 40 languages, Bluetooth capability and added services such as traffic alerts, weather reports, stock and news updates, Amber Alerts and movie listings provided by MSN Direct. Customers can also take advantage of other services offered by Avis including e-Toll electronic toll collection and Avis Chauffeur Drive, which gives customers the ability to hire a professional driver to ease their trip.