Athens Crowned Europe’s Top City-Break Destination at World Travel Awards 2024

A jaguar drilling the camera with its eyes as it attacks a crocodile, a village floating on Lake Titicaca as wildfire approaches, amazing portraits, architectural wonders and gorgeous landscapes are all among the 10 category winners and shortlisted single photos in the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards open competition, unveiled by theWorld Photography Organisation.

The World Travel Awards - dubbed the ‘Oscars of tourism’ - have been announced for 2024 and two Scottish distilleries plus a number of hotels have triumphed.

The beautiful islands of Madeira will play host to the 11th annual World Golf Awards 21-22 November 2024. Leading names from the golfing world will join VIPs and figureheads from the golf tourism industry for what will mark the first World Golf Awards to take place in Madeira. The prize-giving evening at Savoy Palace from Savoy Signature, Funchal will form the climax of an exclusive golfing itinerary, which will include golf at the two world-class courses of Santo da Serra and Palheiro.

Cuba received for the fourth consecutive year the award for Best MICE Organizer at the World MICE Awards 2023, in the field of tourism for meetings, congresses and incentive trips, The note from the tourism authorities of this country reflects satisfaction and the reference to the fact that it is an incredible testimony of efforts and hard work.

Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett is driving future tourism investment for St. Thomas which is gearing up to become Jamaica’s newest tourist destination. In a meeting with German leisure, travel and tourism company, TUI Group, it was confirmed that the company is exploring expanding its footprints in Jamaica and is showing signs of interest to invest in St. Thomas.

The World Travel Awards are some of the travel industry’s most prestigious accolades, and the winners in the European categories have been crowned at the thirty-first edition of the ceremony in Berlin. Leaders in tourism, airline, hotel and hospitality sectors are all included in the programme, but it’s the destinations themselves that we’re most excited about. And claiming the award for Europe’s next emerging destination, a title won by Batumi in Georgia for the last five years, it was Braga, a city not too far from the coast nestled in north-western Portugal.

Saint Lucia has proudly secured the title of Caribbean’s Best Corporate Retreat Destination 2023 at the 4th annual World MICE Awards. The accolade was given to the island during a huge ceremony held in Berlin. The World MICE Awards is renowned internationally for honouring excellence in the industry of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events (MICE). Through a Facebook post, the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority announced the development and said that last year, the island played host to many distinguished conferences and retreats which solidified its reputation as a premier destination for such events. The Director for the United Kingdom and Europe, Patricia Charlery Leon and the Representative for Germany, Switzerland and Austria, Antje Rudhart accepted the accolade on behalf of Saint Lucia.

The Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) has bestowed the prestigious title of Global Tourism Icon upon Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the tourism industry. This esteemed accolade, that was presented yesterday (March 6), comes as a testament to Minister Bartlett’s relentless dedication to promoting sustainable tourism practices, fostering cultural exchange, and advancing the tourism sector on a global scale. He has been at the forefront of initiatives aimed at enhancing visitor experiences, building resilience and creating economic opportunities for local communities through tourism.

Israel’s Tourism Minister Haim Katz has appealed for travellers to visit Israel again. Travellers were safe in the country, he said in front of the press on Tuesday at ITB Berlin. He would be urging the German government to drop the travel warnings for Israel issued by the German Foreign Office.

Travel from Germany to the United States of America has returned to pre-pandemic levels. Speaking at ITB Berlin, on Wednesday the US ambassador to Germany, Amy Gutmann, stated that the two million mark has again been exceeded, and is now within 85 per cent of the 2019 figure.

At ITB Berlin – the world’s leading travel trade show – Weeva launched its new AI capabilities in an industry-defining first for the travel and tourism sector. Since providing a preview of the new AI features at the Phocuswright Conference in October 2023, the formal launch now means that the award-winning sustainability management platform is the first to integrate generative AI capabilities into its user experience.

THE importance of the German market to Tobago has been underscored by THA Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris.