World Travel Awards – the global initiative to recognise and reward excellence in travel and tourism – has unveiled its North America 2020 winners.

The release coincides with its inaugural North America Winners Day.

Winners include Miami Beach – with its dazzling array of art deco delights, sweeping beaches and sizzling entertainment – voted ‘North America’s Leading Destination’.

Los Angeles was named ‘North America’s Leading City Break Destination’, and Grand Canyon National Park the recipient of ‘North America’s Leading Tourist Attraction’.

Newcomer Conrad New York Downtown has swiftly stamped its mark on the luxury hospitality scene by picking up ‘North America’s Leading Hotel’.

Another rising luxury hospitality star, the Florida Keys oceanfront destination, Isla Bella Beach Resort, was voted ‘North America’s Leading New Resort’.

And Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York scooped ‘North America’s Leading Green Hotel’.

The unrivalled dedication to sustainable tourism of Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association was acknowledged with ‘North America’s Responsible Tourism Award’.

Nestled in an idyllic corner of British Columbia, the Thompson Okanagan region is blessed with untapped natural beauty, a rich indigenous culture and a thriving culinary scene.

In the aviation sector, Delta Air Lines dug deep in a year of unprecedented global challenges to win ‘North America’s Leading Airline’, while John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York took ‘North America’s Leading Airport’.

The results follow a year-long search for the world’s top travel, tourism and hospitality brands.

Votes were cast by travel industry professionals and the public, with the nominee gaining the most votes in a category named as the winner.

Graham Cooke, founder of World Travel Awards, said: “Our winners represent the very best of Latin America’s travel and tourism sector and my congratulations to each of them.

“They have all demonstrated remarkable resilience in a year of unprecedented challenges.”

He added: “The World Travel Awards 2020 programme received a record number of votes cast by the public.

“This shows that the appetite for travel and tourism has never been stronger and bodes well for the industry’s future as the global recovery begins.”

Other winners include Maui, Hawaii (‘North America’s Leading Honeymoon Destination’); Norwegian Cruise Line (‘North America’s Leading Cruise Line’); Avis (‘North America’s Leading Car Rental Company’); TravelClick (‘North America’s Leading Hotel CRM Technology Provider); and Hotel Indigo Lower East Side New York (‘North America’s Leading Boutique Hotel’).

Winners

For a full list of winners take a look here.

Breaking Travel News caught up with Glenn Mandziuk, chief executive of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Region, to find out how it felt to have been recognised with North America’s Responsible Tourism Award.

Take a look at what he had to say here.

More Information

World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Each year, World Travel Awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region.

For more information about World Travel Awards visit the official website.