- GUJARAT AND TAMIL NADU VOTED INDIA’S BEST STATE
- SWITZERLAND VOTED AS BEST COUNTRY
- VISTARA RATED NO. 1 DOMESTIC AIRLINES
- SINGAPORE AIRLINES AND EMIRATES RATED BEST INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
- KERALA AND JAMMU & KASHMIR TIE FOR THE BEST HONEYMOON DESTINATION IN INDIA
- KOREA AND BAHRAIN GET BEST EMERGING DESTIONATION AWARD
- SOUTH AFRICA AND CANADA VOTED BEST ADVENTURE DESTINATION
- GOA AND RAJASTHAN WIN THE BEST WEDDING DESTINATION AWARD
Results of Travel + Leisure India & South Asia’s India’s Best Awards 2017 Readers’ Poll Announced Today Revealing Top Destinations, Hotels, Cities, Cruises, Airlines, and More as Voted by Thousands of the Magazine’s Discerning Readers
New Delhi, November 22, 2017: On its 11th Anniversary in the South Asian region, Travel + Leisure India & South Asia announced the results of its sixth edition of the India’s Best Awards today. The polling was conducted through their website over a period of two months since September this year, which culminated in the announcement and Awards Ceremony at the Nandiya Gardens, ITC Maurya, New Delhi. Our polls secured a record total of 1,48,941 votes this year, an overwhelming increase of around 30% since last year. Our guest of honour for the evening, Press Department and Official spokesman of the German Embassy, Mr. Hans Christian WINKLER delivered a key note speech and presented a few awards. Mr. Inaki Vitorika, Cultural Counsellor of the Embassy of Spain, and Mr. Sujit Banerjee, Secretary General, World Travel and Tourism Council were some of the esteemed guests who graced the occasion.
With 97 awards across 57 categories that range from the best country, emerging destination, cruise, business hotel, airport, destination spa, and honeymoon destinations in India and across the world, thousands of Travel + Leisure India & South Asia’s discerning readers have voted robustly and discriminatingly and the competition was very close in most categories. Additionally, the last two awards for the evening were decided by travel community Tripoto, for the best writer and photographer. This year we also introduced a new category, that of Best Digital Influencer, seeing it as an inevitable inclusion to the world of travel this year, and it was won by photographer, blogger, and Instagrammer Rufus Reynolds.
The evening saw many known names in the travel and lifestyle industries. Celebrity beautician Shenaz Hussain, Priya Paul, Chairperson of The Apeejay Surendra Park Hotels, eminent fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore, and Kalyani Chawla, Founder, Lulu & Sky are some of the people who were invited to present the awards.
This year, the Best State award had joined winners, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu;Keralaand Jammu & Kashmir were absolute favourites when it came to romantic getaways and was voted the Best Honeymoon Destination by Travel+Leisure India & South Asia readers.
Coming to international destinations, Travel+Leisure India readers surprised us with their travel choices this year. For the Best Heritage Destination voters were divided between Israel and Mexico, for Best Emerging Destination, Koreaand Bahrainsecured top spots, while Singapore Airlines and Emirates bagged the Best Airline (International).
“Travel+Leisure India & South Asia is undoubtedly the market leader in the luxury travel segment in India. Travel+Leisure is entirely devoted to connecting high net worth individuals to the world’s most extraordinary places and curate unmatched premium experiences, weather in print or digital. For our readers travelling is their lifestyle, and we are proud that so many of them voted for their favourites to make them win accolades at this year’s spectacular Travel+ Leisure awards,” says Björn Rettig, CEO Burda India.
“It is with great pleasure that we host India’s Best Awards every year. Over the past two months, our team has tabulated the votes that over 450 nominees have received in 57 categories through our online voting process ontravelandleisureindia.in. In our sixth edition of India’s Best Awards this year, we introduced 10 new categories so that due credit is given to destinations and hotel brands that have re-positioned themselves anew. These include awards for the Best Luxury Hotel Chain-India, which went to ITC Hotels, Best Domestic Food Destination which went to West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, and Best International Adventure Destination which went to Canada and South Africa,”says Parineeta Sethi, Director, Exposure Media Marketing Private Ltd.
A complete list of winners follows:
India’s Best Awards List 2017
INTERNATIONAL
Best Country – Switzerland
Best City – Dubai, UAE & Melbourne, Victoria
Best Emerging Destination – Korea & Bahrain
Best Heritage Destination – Israel & Mexico
Best Honeymoon Destination – France & Thailand
Best MICE Destination – Hong Kong & Japan
Best Wedding Destination – Abu Dhabi & Macau
Best Food Destination – Rome, Italy & Madrid, Spain
Best Family Destination – Austria
Best Luxury Destination – Baden Baden, Germany & Monte Carlo
Best Adventure Destination – South Africa & Canada
Best Business Hotel – Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai
Best Heritage Hotel – The Fullerton Hotel, Singapore
Best Luxury Resort – Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Maldives & The Venetian Macao
Best Hotel Group – Hyatt Hotels Corporation & AccorHotels
Best Destination Spa – Palazzo Versace Dubai & Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort
Best Hotel Loyalty Programme- SPG – World of Hyatt
Best Golf Resort- Address Montgomerie, Dubai
Best Luxury Safari Resort- Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, South Africa
Best Amusement Park- Dubai Park & Resorts
Best Theme Park- Universal Studios Singapore
Best Integrated Resort- Resort World Sentosa, Singapore
Best Cruise- Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Best One-Stop Shopping Destination – Bicester Village, UK & Fashion Island California
DOMESTIC
Best State – Gujarat & Tamil Nadu
Best Emerging Destination – Assam
Best Heritage Destination – Madhya Pradesh & Odisha
Best Honeymoon Destination – Kerala & Jammu & Kashmir
Best Wedding Destination – Goa & Rajasthan
Best Family Destination – Himachal Pradesh
Best Spiritual Destination – Bihar
Best Adventure Destination – Sikkim
Best Food Destination – Andhra Pradesh
Best New Hotel – The LaLit Mangar, Faridabad & Andaz Delhi
Best Heritage Hotel – Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad & The Imperial New Delhi
Best Boutique Hotel – Namah & Niraamaya Retreats Cardamom Club, Kerala
Best Hotel for Women Travellers – The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences & Park Hyatt Hyderabad
Best Business Hotel – Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & Le Méridien New Delhi
Best Family Hotel – Fairmont Jaipur & InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort
Best Luxury Business Hotel – Park Hyatt Chennai & The St. Regis Mumbai
Best Luxury Hotel – The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra & ITC Grand Bharat, Gurugram
Best Luxury Resort – Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa & Kumarakom Lake Resort, Kerala
Best Destination Spa – Shamana Spa, Grand Hyatt Goa & Ananda Spa, Ananda in the Himalayas, Rishikesh
Best Hotel Group – The Park Hotels
Best Luxury Hotel Chain – ITC Hotels
Best Airport-International- Singapore Changi Airport
Best Airline- International- Singapore Airlines and Emirates
Best Airport-India- Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
Best Airline-Domestic- Vistara
Best Airport Lounge- Etihad, Abu Dhabi & Lufthansa, Frankfurt
Best Duty-Free Shopping- Delhi Duty Free & Munich Airport Duty Free
Best Luxury Travel Curator- TUI & Cox & Kings India
Best Travel Photographer (Tripoto Powered) – Aamir Wani
Best Travel Writer (Tripoto Powered)– Sreshti Verma
Best Digital Influencer – Rufus Reynolds
Corporate Comm India(CCI Newswire)