Award Winners announced at the Grand Final were selected by a judging committee made up of tourism industry insiders from more than 180 countries and regions around the world.
EL JADIDA, Morocco – HNA Tourism Group (“HNA Tourism”), the strategic tourism business conglomerate of HNA Group, has been crowned as the World’s Leading Integrated Tourism Group at the World Travel Awards (WTA) Grand Final hosted in El Jadida, Morocco on December 12, 2015. In doing so, HNA Tourism becomes the first ever Chinese company to receive the award and is the only company to hold the award at all three levels, China, Asia and the World.
Award Winners announced at the Grand Final were selected by a judging committee made up of tourism industry insiders from more than 180 countries and regions around the world. In addition to HNA Tourism, more than 100 other leading tourism companies were nominated and attended the event.
The World Travel Awards, the highest honor for the global tourism industry, have been hailed as “The Oscars of the Travel Industry” by The Wall Street Journal. Annually, a number of outstanding companies within the travel sector are recognized and awarded after strict review and examination by the judging committee.
HNA Tourism, a company “born and bred” in China is in the midst of a period of rapid global expansion as it establishes itself as a leading global brand. This global growth has coincided with increased recognition from leading industry bodies such as WTA. When presenting the award to HNA Tourism, WTA President and Founder Graham E. Cooke said: “Only last month, in November, I presented two awards, China’s Leading Travel Management Company and Asia’s Leading Integrated Tourism Group, to HNA Tourism. I had been wondering to myself whether the name HNA Tourism would come up again today. Winning these three major awards in 2015 signifies that HNA Tourism’s strength and development potential have been noticed by the industry’s global community. We look forward to HNA Tourism continuing to make outstanding achievements and delivering more excellent travel experiences.“
Mr. Zhang Ling, Member of the Board of Directors of HNA Group and Chairman of HNA Tourism said, “To receive this prestigious WTA award is an important milestone for HNA Tourism. It signifies that we have successfully established ourselves as a key player in the global tourism industry and lays the foundations for further international expansion. We are proud that our integrated business model has been recognized on the global stage and this will inspire us as we continue to grow in markets around the world. To be honored by WTA as the leading integrated tourism group in China, Asia and now the world is an incredible achievement. The fact that we are the first company from China to do this makes it even more significant”.
This latest award comes near the end of a landmark year for HNA Tourism that has seen them secure notable investments and strategic partnerships with top-tier international hospitality and tourism groups including NH Hotels, Tsogo Sun Hotels, Red Lion Hotels, Swissport, Kuoni Travel, Hawker Pacific, PVCP Group and Tuniu.
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