Jumeirah Essex House, Mandarin Oriental Miami, The Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows and The St. Regis Hotel New York are among the iconic properties competing for the coveted title of “North America’s Leading Hotel” at a VIP World Travel Awards (WTA) ceremony in Montego Bay on October 19th, 2011.

Another key category to watch at the WTA 2011 Caribbean & the Americas Gala Ceremony is “North America’s Leading Destination”, with Las Vegas, New York, Miami, San Francisco, Montreal and Vancouver among the hot contenders.

The awards program - hailed as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’ by the global media - will reward those destinations, hotels and organisations that have made the largest contribution to the travel and tourism industry over the past year.

Nominees for “North America’s Leading Airline” include Delta Airlines, Air Canada, United Airlines, North American Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

The ceremony takes place at Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Private Island on October 19th, 2011, and is set to attract the top decision-makers and thought-leaders from across the Caribbean and North, South and Central America as they compete for the most influential accolades in travel.

World Travel Awards president Graham Cooke underlined the importance of travel and tourism in steering the Americas and the Caribbean through the global uncertainty.

“Travel and tourism across the Americas and the Caribbean has demonstrated remarkable resilience, given the challenges being faced globally.

“This is testament to tourism’s role as the catalyst for economic growth with the power to steer the region out of one of the most challenging periods in global financial history.”

He added: “Our nominees represent those organizations that have made the greatest contribution to the performance of the Americas and the Caribbean, and I look forward to finding out which ones will make it on to the winner’s podium on October 19th.”

World Travel Awards the Caribbean & the Americas Gala Ceremony has become a fixture of the regional tourism calendar

John Lynch, chairman and director of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), also expressed his delight the island was selected to host the ceremony.

He said: “Jamaica is pleased to be chosen as the host destination for the celebrated World Travel Awards 2011 Caribbean & the Americas Gala Ceremony.

“Our island is easily accessible and has many new tourism offerings to showcase to the prestigious global audience of the World Travel Awards.

“We appreciate this opportunity and look forward to welcoming our guests to a variety of Jamaican experiences.”

Gordon “Butch” Stewart, chairman of Sandals Resorts, also expressed his pleased to once again support the Caribbean on the world stage by hosting the annual World Travel Awards Caribbean & the Americas Gala Ceremony.

He said: “At Sandals Resorts, we come from the region, we understand the communities, we understand the quality of the beaches and we understand the services and standards that the customer now demands.

“As we celebrate 30 years of providing luxury vacations that exceed expectations, I can say that we are delighted to showcase those services and amenities to the travel industry once again this year.” 

Sandals Resorts was last year recognised as the Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand, with chairman Butch Stewart receiving the award from WTA executive vice president Manon Han

World Travel Awards

The Caribbean & The Americas Gala Ceremony marks the fifth and final leg of World Travel Awards 2011 Grand Tour, and will follow heats in Dubai, UAE; Antalya, Turkey; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; and Bangkok, Thailand.

Regional winners from these events progress to the Grand Final at the end of the year.

The event partners are the Jamaica Tourist Board, Sandals Resorts and WeClickMedia, while media partners include National Geographic Traveller, ABTA Magazine, ASTA Network, eTurboNews, Breaking Travel News, JaxFax and Travel Daily News.

For more info about World Travel Awards 2011 Caribbean & the Americas Gala Ceremony and booking information visit the official website.

Download images of the event here.