Travel Industry Leaders in Athens for World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony

Hundreds of the leading figures of Europe’s travel and tourism industry will be in Athens, Greece, ahead of the World Travel Awards (WTA) Europe Gala Ceremony 2018. The red-carpet ceremony will take place at the historic Zappeion Megaron Hall on Saturday, June 30.

The evening marks the second leg of the WTA Grand Tour 2018 – a series of regional events to acknowledge the world’s outstanding travel brands.

Graham Cooke, Founder and President, World Travel Awards, said: “It is a great honour to stage our Europe Gala Ceremony in Athens, in this our 25th anniversary. We are honoured to partner with ΗotelBrain, under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Tourism, City of Athens and Greek National Tourism Organisation – and we thank everyone here in Athens for their support in bringing WTA to their incredible city.

“This is an exciting time for Greece’s tourism economy, with 2018 already shaping up to be another strong year. For every one of its citizens, three foreign visitors – 32 million in total – are forecast to arrive this year, more than at any other time since records began. This follows an additional two million visitors arriving annually for the past three years.

He added: “The evening will also represent a double celebration for WTA as we reach our milestone silver jubilee. For 25 years, we have sought out the very best in the global hospitality industry, and this evening we will reveal those that have made the grade here in Europe.”

WTA began its Grand Tour 2018 in April with its Middle East Gala Ceremony in Ras al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. Other destinations hosting regional ceremonies this year include Hong Kong (Asia & Australasia Gala Ceremony), Guayaquil, Ecuador (Latin America Ceremony), Montego Bay, Jamaica (Caribbean & North America Gala Ceremony) and Durban, South Africa (Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony). The regional winners will then progress to the Grand Final, which will be hosted in Lisbon, Portugal on 1st December 2018.

WTA has maintained its position as the industry leader for the past 25 years, consistently proving its value as the global benchmark for excellence in the travel, tourism and hospitality business.