Jordan shines at 29th World Travel Awards ceremony 

AMMAN — Jordan claimed two awards at the 29th annual World Travel Awards (WTA) Middle East Gala Ceremony held on Monday at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Amman.

The Kingdom was crowned as the “Middle East’s Leading Honeymoon Destination 2022” and the “Middle East’s Most Romantic Destination 2022”.

The event marked WTA’s first ceremony in the Kingdom, and featured the presence of the travel industry’s leading figures and some 500 top industry representatives from across the Middle East. 

In his opening remarks, Founder and President of WTA Graham Cooke noted that Jordan is distinguished by its diverse landscapes and World Heritage sites such as Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea.

Developments in Jordan’s fast-growing tourism sector allow it to compete at the regional and global levels, he added, noting that “this is Jordan’s time to shine” as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations. 

He also pointed out that what makes this edition “different and great” is that it comes during the tourism sector’s recovery from the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Winners of this year’s awards were chosen by over 2.3 million voters from across the globe, according to Cooke.

Experience Jordan also claimed the title of the “Middle East’s Leading Adventure Tour Operator”. Avis won “Jordan’s Leading Car Rental Company 2022”, “Jordan’s Leading Destination Management Company 2022” went to Magic Arabia and Al Tahadi Travel & Tours won Jordan’s Leading Travel Agency 2022. Nirvana Travel and Tourism claimed the awards for “Jordan’s Leading Tour Operator 2022” and “Jordan’s Leading Travel Management Company 2022”. 

A number of Jordanian hotels and resorts also topped off the night with various awards, including the Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa gaining the title of “Jordan’s Leading Beach Resort 2022”, The St Regis Amman as “Jordan’s Leading Hotel 2022” and InterContinental Amman as both “Jordan’s Leading Business Hotel 2022” and “Jordan’s Leading Conference Hotel 2022”.

Other winners also include Grand Hyatt Amman Residences as “Jordan’s Leading Hotel Residences 2022”, the presidential suite at Al Manara, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba as “Jordan’s Leading Hotel Suite 2022”, W Amman as “Jordan’s Leading Lifestyle Hotel 2022” and Dead Sea Marriott Resort & Spa as “Jordan’s Leading Resort 2022”.

Regional winners at the WTA Middle East will now compete for prizes at the World Travel Awards Grand Final, which will take place on November 11 in Muscat, Oman.

“WTA was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.” Its regional gala ceremonies aim “to recognise and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region”, according to its website.