The winners of Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2020, one of the region’s most prestigious travel industry awards programmes, have finally been revealed. More than 250 industry professionals logged onto Zoom and Facebook Live on October 20 to find out who had been crowned the best of the best, with the awards ceremony staged online for the first time in the event’s 18-year history. Showcasing companies at the forefront of business travel and services, the popular awards programme, which was launched in 2002, recognises top-level industry executives for their hard work and commitment and acknowledges organisations that are leaders in delivering products and services for the frequent travelling executive.
Results are based on reader votes only, with voting for this year’s awards conducted online between February and September, supported by vote processing partner Jacobsons Direct Marketing.
The 2020 programme acknowledged the achievements of industry-leading airports, hotels, airlines and other travel services across 36 categories, with trophies presented to winners after the online event took place.
Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner at Motivate Media Group, who delivered and presented many of trophies in person, said: “It’s been an incredibly challenging year for the travel and hospitality sector so it is more important than ever that we recognise companies that have gone above and beyond in business travel during this period.”
The industry had proven remarkably robust, embracing change and pursuing innovation, with the GCC a “trailblazer” in this respect, he said.
“Many of you have played a pivotal role in adapting to the ‘new normal’ in spectacular ways,” he said in reference to winning and shortlisted companies emphasising that “post-COVID, the region had proven a global tourism leader in terms of health and safety innovation and best practice”.
Fairservice stressed that despite current travel restrictions globally and the popularity of meeting technology, “people want to travel to conduct business face to face and form relationships in person”.
“This desire for human interaction and connection does not falter and the Gulf, with its outstanding tourism and business infrastructure, aviation hub status, admired service culture, commitment to excellence and innovation and perhaps most important, its warm Arabian hospitality, famous the world over, is well placed to lead the recovery of the travel sector,” he said.
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