They came; they saw; they conquered. The Annual Awards show that recognises the very best in world travel - The prestigious World Travel Awards - held it’s 9th Annual Awards for the second time in Caribbean and received a unanimous thumbs up from all the distinguished guests who attended as the most exciting show to date.
Held in the luxurious surroundings of the Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort in the tropical paradise of St. Lucia, this year’s awards were attended by hundreds of crème de la crème of industry as well as VIPs such as St. Lucia’s Prime Minister, the Honorable Dr Kenny Anthony and Governor General, Dame Pearletter Louisy. And many hundreds of thousands worldwide watched the ceremony on the exclusive webcast.
During an evening full of surprises, drama, comedy and entertainment, the audience enjoyed an exquisite gala dinner, with lively performances from actor and comic Bradley Walsh, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas and Faith Brown to name but a few.
The online voting system at www.worldtravelawards.com has once again enabled over 500,000 frontline agents and 80,000 travel agencies worldwide the opportunity to let the world know who they think are the WORLD’S BEST in the Travel Industry, further enhancing the value of the World Travel Awards as the professional’s choice. More and more people now recognise the global significance of achieving World Travel Award winner’s status.
The winners of these accolades included; 
á British Airways, World’s Leading Airline á Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, World’s Leading Hotel Group á Paris, World’s Leading Destination á Travelocity, World’s Leading Travel Internet Site á The Plaza, World’s Leading Hotel á St. Lucia, World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination

Winner of the Travel Personality of the Year, 2002 went to Rossi Ralenkotter, Las Vegas Convention & Visitor’s Authority, who now joins the likes of Richard Branson and Right Hon. Gordon ‘Butch’ Steward, O.J. in the World Travel Awards Travel Personality Hall of Fame. Honoured with this award, Ralenkotter commented, “We are all competitors in the travel industry, but this past year has shown us that, in difficult times we come together and support each other. “Congratulations to the World Travel Awards for continuing to recognise excellence in our industry. Thank you for all your support”.
Host of this year’s event, Peter Hilary Modeste, Director of Tourism for St. Lucia commented,  “The St. Lucia Tourist Board is proud to host the World Travel Awards 2002. Our cultural diversity and St. Lucia’s stunning physical beauty together with its friendly population will provide our visitors with an enjoyable and memorable experience.
“The World Travel Awards have become the event for the who’s who of the global travel community,” said Manon Han, Vice President, World Travel Awards. “We`re extremely proud to play a role in both celebrating the past achievement and encouraging innovative product and services in the industry. The World Travel Awards is now being acknowledged as the best endorsement that any travel product could receive.
The full and complete results are now available on the official website, www.worldtravelawards.com, and the prestigious 2002 Winner`s Shields will be available to download from the web from 30 Oct.
The World Travel Awards was conceived in 1993 to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in the world’s travel and tourism industry. Now in its ninth year, travel professionals and discerning travellers have come to regard the World Travel Awards as the very best endorsement that a travel product could hope to receive.
For more information contact Anna Gouldman, the Press Officer on +44 (0)20 7887 1916 or email at [email protected].
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