Qatar's Aspire Zone named World's Leading Sports Tourism Development Project

Major decision-makers in global travel and tourism attended this week's World Travel Awards to recognise leaders in the world's hospitality and travel industry.

Held in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), at Qatar's Katara Cultural Village the evening was one of celebration for the hosts with Qatar's Aspire Zone named 'World's Leading Sports Tourism Development Project'; and Doha being voted the 'World's Leading Business Travel Destination'.

The Aspire Zone's win recognised the country's growing sporting credentials, bolstered by the recent Asian Football Cup and other large scale events held at the world class complex.

The evening marked the culmination of a year-long search for the very best travel and tourism brands in the world, and featured the winners from WTA's five 2011 regional heats competing head to head.

Qatar Tourism Authority Chairman, Ahmed Al Nuaimi, stated "we are delighted to be honoured as the World's Leading Business Destination by our peers in the global hospitality industry. This is a great achievement and solidifies Qatar's premier position as a great place to do business as well as one with first class leisure, sporting and cultural attractions.

"I also congratulate the winners from Qatar - Aspire Zone, Qatar Airways and Regency Travel and tours - all provide the highest level of service and expertise and this has been recognised by their industry peers."

Hailed as "The Oscars of the Travel Industry" by the Wall Street Journal, WTA is recognised worldwide as the ultimate travel accolade.

World Travel Awards President and Founder Graham Cookeadded that "Qatar in particular is playing a decisive role in generating new opportunities in travel and tourism, hence our decision to host our Grand Final in Doha. More than US$100 billion worth of infrastructure is due to be completed before the 2022 FIFA World Cup."

Established 19 years ago, World Travel Awards is committed to raising the standards of customer service and overall business performance throughout the international tourism industry.

The 2011 WTA nominations featured more than 5,000 companies in 1,000 categories across 162 countries.

The winners were selected by more than 210,000 industry professionals and consumers worldwide.

A complete list of World winners can be viewed at www.worldtravelawards.com/winners2011-1

18th December 2011 - QATAR TOURISM AUTHORITY PARTNERS WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS FOR GRAND FINAL IN DOHA

9th June 2011 - ASPIRE ZONE SUCCESS FOR ASI SPORT

16th May 2011 - QATAR SHOWCASES STADIUM COOLING TECHNOLOGIES

3rd December 2010 - QATAR WINS 2022 WORLD CUP BID 

24th November 2009 - PRAISE FOR DOHA’S SPORTING FACILITIES 

28th January 2008 - DOHA’S ASPIRE ZONE BECOMES PUBLIC CORPORATION