Oman will host the World Travel Awards (WTA) Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2019 on November 28. Now in its 26th edition, WTA has partnered with Oman Airports to host its highly-anticipated ceremony in the Sultanate for the first time. The red carpet event will be held at the Royal Opera House Muscat, with hundreds of senior representatives of leading airlines, hotels and tourism companies in attendance, making it one of the largest ever events of its kind to be hosted in Oman.

Sheikh Ayman bin Ahmed Al Hosani, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Airports, said: “The WTA Grand Final Gala Ceremony is one of the leading events in the global travel sector that attracts some of the world’s most prominent travel and tourism related companies to participate. Oman Airports, one of the key pillars in the Omani tourism sector, was established to contribute to supporting the national economy by attracting new business to the country. Our sponsorship of this global event is in line with efforts by Oman Airports units to introduce the Sultanate as a key regional player in the travel industry, and the team has made a tremendous effort to ensure that Muscat was chosen as the hosting destination for the WTA Grand Final Gala Ceremony. This will give us an opportunity to attract some of the most prominent international travel and tourism companies to visit Oman and see first-hand its true beauty and potential.”

He added: “Hosting the WTA Grand Final Gala Ceremony also enables us to bolster our support of the Oman Aviation Group to strengthen the tourism and transport sectors and achieve the strategic goals of Oman 2040. This is in line with our own vision of establishing Oman’s airports as gateways to beauty and opportunities. We guarantee that every participant visiting the Gala event will be left speechless by the beauty of our city; right from the very first moment they step through the gate at Muscat International Airport, all the way to the Royal Opera House, the centre for arts and culture in the city, and with every other tourist attractions the capital has to offer.”

Graham Cooke, Founder of WTA, said: “We are honoured to host our Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2019 in the Sultanate of Oman. From magnificent mountains and paradise beaches to beautiful deserts, Oman offers a wealth of incredible landscapes and travel experiences. I look forward to welcoming the world’s most senior decision-makers for our first ceremony in this incredible country.”

Established in 1993 in England, the World Travel Awards celebrates its 26^th anniversary in 2019. Its annual programme is renowned as the most prestigious and comprehensive in the global industry. Travel and tourism-related companies and hotels the world over are always keen to participate for a chance to win one of their illustrious awards. Doing so is an achievement that provides them with the ideal marketing tool to promote their winning products and services.

Each year WTA covers the globe with its Grand Tour – a series of regional gala ceremonies to recognise excellence within each continent, culminating in a Grand Final at the end of the year. Regional ceremonies on the WTA Grand Tour 2019 included Montego Bay (Jamaica), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Mauritius, Madeira (Portugal), La Paz (Bolivia), Phu Quoc (Vietnam). The winners of these regional ceremonies are going head-to-head at the Grand Final in Oman on 28 November when the winners of the prestigious World categories will be unveiled.