(Posted 25th November 2024)
Winners at the event from Africa were:
Twiga Tours / Kenya once again bagged the award as the World’s leading safari company – congratulations Minaz Manji, the Manji family and to their team!
| World’s Leading Safari Company 2024 | Twiga Tours |
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Air Seychelles named as leading airline to the Indian Ocean while North Island named the World’s leading private island resort
| World’s Leading Luxury Private Island Resort 2024 | North Island, Seychelles |
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| World’s Leading Airline to the Indian Ocean 2024 | Air Seychelles |
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Thanda Island / Tanzania earned the award as the World’s leading private island and the country was also recognized as the World’s leading safari destination
| World’s Leading Safari Destination 2024 | Tanzania |
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| World’s Leading Exclusive Private Island 2024 | Thanda Island, Tanzania |
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Malewane Lodge / South Africa was named the World’s leading luxury lodge while the award for the World’s leading private villa also went to South Africa
| World’s Leading Luxury Private Villa 2024 | Villa iZulu @ Thanda Safari, South Africa |
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| World’s Leading Luxury Lodge 2024 | Malewane Lodge at Royal Malewane, South Africa |
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Mauritius too got recognized with the World’s leading luxury villa beach resort and also as the World’s leading Wedding Destination
| World’s Leading Wedding Destination 2024 | Mauritius |
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| World’s Leading Luxury Villa Beach Resort 2024 | Maradiva Villas Resort & Spa, Mauritius |
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Rwanda was also on the score sheet with Bisate Lodge making the cut
| World’s Leading Safari Lodge 2024 | Bisate Lodge, Rwanda |
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Tourism royalty from across the globe convened in Funchal, Madeira for the World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2024 to recognise the travel organisations pushing the boundaries of excellence and innovation.
Destination winners include Maldives, voted World’s Leading Destination. The medieval Portuguese city of Braga took home the title of ‘World’s Leading Emerging Tourism Destination’. Saint Lucia was named ‘World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination’, while Tanzania claimed ‘World’s Leading Safari Destination’. Jamaica was recognised as ‘World’s Leading Cruise Destination’. With its timeless elegance and world-class facilities, Cannes was named ‘World’s Leading Festival & Event Destination’. The pristine reefs of the Philippines were acknowledged with the award for ‘World’s Leading Dive Destination’.
Jumeirah Al Naseem, Dubai was crowned ‘World’s Leading Hotel’, with Forte Village, Sardinia honoured as ‘World’s Leading Resort’.
In the newcomer categories, Waldorf Astoria Doha West Bay saw off a tough field to collect ‘World’s Leading New Hotel’, with Anantara Mina Al Arab Ras Al Khaimah Resort winning ‘World’s Leading New Resort’. Seville’s Casa Palacio Don Ramón was voted ‘World’s Leading New Boutique Hotel’.
The strength of Arabian aviation was highlighted with major wins for Qatar Airways (‘World’s Leading Airline’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline – Business Class’); Etihad Airways (‘World’s Leading Airline – Economy Class’, ‘World’s Leading Airline – Customer Experience’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline Lounge – First Class); and Emirates (‘World’s Leading Airline – First Class’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline Brand’).
Meanwhile, AirAsia picked up double honours, winning ‘World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline’ and ‘World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew’. TAP Air Portugal claimed ‘World’s Leading Airline to Africa’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline to South America’. interCaribbean Airways also took to the podium, collecting ‘World’s Leading Regional Airline’.
Graham Cooke, Founder, World Travel Awards, says: “It has been a privilege to welcome our winners from every corner of the globe to celebrate in enchanting Madeira. The incredible evening will live long in everyone’s memory. Our winners represent the pinnacle of tourism excellence, and I congratulate each of them for raising the benchmark of the global tourism economy.”
Madeira itself was recognised as ‘‘World’s Leading Island Destination’. With its sub-tropical climate and unique eco-system, the Atlantic archipelago is the perfect year-round destination.
Eduardo Jesus, Regional Secretary for Economy, Tourism, and Culture and President of Madeira Promotion Bureau, comments: “The award for ‘World’s Leading Island Destination, which Madeira has received consecutively since 2015, is a recognition of the efforts made by the entire sector to strengthen its international positioning as a unique, year-round destination for everyone.”
He adds: “It is an honour and a great satisfaction to receive this award at a gala held in Funchal, attended by many local guests and representatives from entities and institutions that work tirelessly throughout the year to achieve such prestigious recognition from the World Travel Awards.”
Other winners include Madrid (‘World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination’); Kaizen Hoteles (‘World’s Leading Independent Hotel Group’); Booking.com (‘World’s Leading Online Travel Agency’); and Satguru (‘World’s Leading Leisure Travel Agency’).
The full list of respective winners in the various categories were:
