QATAR TOURISM AUTHORITY PARTNERS WTA FOR GRAND FINAL IN DOHA

World Travel Awards (WTA), “the Oscars of the travel industry”, will host its Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Doha, Qatar, in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) on January 11, 2012.

The most important decision-makers in global travel and tourism are set to attend the glittering ceremony, which will be staged at Katara Cultural Village, Qatar’s ground-breaking new arts and exhibitions complex.

Created under the leadership of HH Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, Katara Cultural Village was born out of a vision to position the State of Qatar as an international cultural lighthouse through theatre, literature, art, music, conventions and exhibitions. Katara features a remarkable array of attractions, from an opera house and art galleries to world-class restaurants and a beach.

Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) Chairman, Mr. Ahmed Al Nuaimi, said the choice of Doha to host WTA’s Grand Final reflects the country’s growing importance and stature in the industry and that QTA was lending as much support as possible to make the awards the best ever.

“The staging of the ceremony in Doha is an illustration of the confidence the travel and tourism industry has in Qatar as well as the potential it has to develop further,” said Mr. Al. Nuaimi.

“Qatar has allocated more the US$25 billion for the development of tourism infrastructure in preparation for the 2022 World Cup. WTA’s Grand Final forms part of our country’s growing roster of world-class events, ranging from art and music to sport and travel.”

The evening marks the culmination of a year-long search for the very best travel and tourism brands in the world, and will feature the winners from WTA’s regional heats competing head to head.

The regional ceremonies included Middle East (Dubai, UAE), Europe (Antalya, Turkey), Africa and Indian Ocean (Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt), Asia and Australasia (Bangkok, Thailand), and Caribbean and The Americas (Montego Bay, Jamaica).

Graham E. Cooke, President and Founder, World Travel Awards, said: “We are delighted to host our Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Qatar as it is such an exciting place to be right now.”

“Our Grand Final will see the winners of our five regional heats, who represent the cream of the global travel and tourism industry, compete head to head for the ultimate travel accolade.”

WTA has partnered with tourism marketing firm Phenomena to bring the ceremony to Qatar.

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Last Minute Travel Deals to South Padre Island

So you're thinking about going to South Padre Island for some summer enjoyment, but you made the decision at the last minute? Families, college students, and adventure seekers all may get sucked into the fun that is South Padre Island with little advance notice. AOL Travel knows this and is here to help you find last minute travel deals to South Padre Island.

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European Travel This Holiday Season

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Explore holiday traditions on a different continent: Countries all across Europe have their own special way of celebrating the holiday time. In Norway, December 13 is the feast day of Santa Lucia. Throughout the day, a parade of girls wear a crown of lights, carry baskets and hand out saffron buns. In France, the Christmas Eve feast is known as Le Reveillon de Noel, lasting a lot of hours and serving up cuisine unique to each city.

Visit Europe's famous Christmas markets: Christmas markets are a tradition in more than a dozen cities throughout Europe. These unique destinations feature handmade crafts, unique foods, live nativity scenes, concerts and special celebrations. In Copenhagen, visit the Christmas market at Tivoli Gardens to see more than four miles of Christmas lights. In France, the Strasbourg Cathedral is the oldest Christmas Market in the country.

Ring in the New Year on a River: River cruising is a unique way to visit multiple European cities during the holidays. Cruise the Danube, Rhine or Main River to see cities like Amsterdam, Cologne, Vienna, Frankfurt and Nuremberg. "River cruises are unique in that they are smaller than traditional ocean cruise ships and usually less than 100 suites," said Marty Seslow, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Gate 1 Travel. "They are also unique in that they typically stop at a new city everyday, instead of spending an entire day cruising."

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Wildlife can be established in all ecosystems. Deserts, rain forests, plains, and other areas together with the most urbanized sites All have distinct forms of wildlife. While the term in popular culture usually refers to animals that are unharmed by human factors, most scientists agree that wildlife around the world is impacted by human activities.

A media reporting and enclosure of administration education in early school curriculum, Wildlife tourism & Eco tourism has fast become a popular industry generating significant income for burgeoning nations with rich wildlife specially , Africa and India. This ever increasing and ever fitting more popular form of tourism is providing the much needed encouragement for poor nations to safeguard their rich wildlife convention and its habitat.

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