World Travel Awards (WTA), the «Oscars of the travel industry», has unveiled plans to visit Greece for the first time, with Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso, Athens, set to host its Europe Gala Ceremony on 2nd August 2014.

Senior representatives from Europe’s finest travel brands are scheduled to attend WTA’s Europe Gala Ceremony 2014 as they vie to win the most coveted accolade in the industry.

The red-carpet evening is being held in partnership with the Greek Tourism Ministry, the Greek National Tourism Organisation, the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises and Divani Collection Hotels, and will include a gala dinner, top entertainment as well as the presentation of the most coveted awards in the industry.

Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in a full itinerary over the weekend, a «journey through Greece,» giving an insight into both its illustrious history and its vibrant contemporary culture.

The WTA organisers highlight the significance of hosting the VIP ceremony in Athens.

Graham E Cooke, President & Founder, WTA, says: «We are delighted to host our first ceremony in Greece, a decision that reflects the crucial contribution that tourism makes to the national economy. The Greek tourism sector is enjoying a renaissance, with last year’s double-digit growth predicted to continue in 2014 as it continues to grow market share.»

He adds: «The selection of our hosts is fundamental to the success of our awards programme, and Athens possesses all the ingredients to rise to the challenge of hosting our Europe Ceremony 2014. As Europe’s oldest city, Athens beautifully balances its 2,500-year history with a vibrant contemporary culture scene.»

The ceremony will take place at the luxury beach resort of Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso. Situated in the exclusive area of Vouliagmeni, just 18km from Athens city centre, the resort’s stunning beachfront location combined with one of the most luxurious Thalassotherapy centres in Europe make it a destination for well-being and relaxation.

Niki Fotiou, Marketing & PR Manager, Divani Collection Hotels, says: «Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso is privileged to host the World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony. We are proud to bring this event to Greece for the first time and to offer an impressive ‘journey’ through Greece to more than 500 travel tourism and hospitality professionals.»

The Europe Ceremony 2014 will mark the third leg of WTA’s Grand Tour, a global search for the world’s finest travel brands, which also includes regional heats in Dubai, Ecuador and Anguilla. The winners of these regional heats will progress to the Grand Final, which will take place in December 2014.

Hailed as ‘the Oscars of the travel industry’, World Travel Awards celebrates its 21st anniversary this year and is acknowledged across the globe as the ultimate travel accolade and aims to celebrate those brands that are pushing the boundaries of industry excellence.

WTA’s global media partner network includes International New York Times, TV5Monde, CNBC Arabiya, Newsweek, Outlook Traveller, Travel & Leisure, Khaleej Times, Trade Arabia, TTN, Trav Talk India, Publituris, ASTA Network, Breaking Travel News, eTurboNews, Travel Daily News International and Focus on Travel News.

This global media partner network has a monthly readership of 1.7 million and a TV audience reach of 90 million.