(New York, NY, October 6, 2011)  Tony Potter, CEO and Managing Director, CHI Hotels & Resorts, the exclusive operator and developer for the luxury Corinthia Hotels brand, announced that British Airways, Jonathan M. Tisch, Chairman and CEO, Loews Hotels and National Geographic Traveler will be the 2011 World Tourism Award Honorees.  This prestigious award is presented annually at World Travel Market in London by Corinthia Hotels, together with co-sponsors American Express, International Herald Tribune and Reed Travel Exhibitions.  This year, celebrating its 14th anniversary, the World Tourism Awards will be presented on opening day of World Travel Market, Monday, November 7, 2011 at Excel Centre, London.  The announcement was made at a Corinthia Hotels Press Breakfast today at Robert, the restaurant atop of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.

The three distinguished 2011 Honorees are being recognized for their dedication to sustainable tourism, preservation of natural and cultural heritage as well as forging tourism partnerships to overcome challenging times.

The first award will honor British Airways in recognition of "its investment of £5-6M annually to support its Global Community Programs, in direct and in-kind donations, to more than 100 community and conservation focused charities around the world as well as in the UK.”

The second award will honor Jonathan M. Tisch, Chairman and CEO, Loews Hotels, in recognition for “his leadership role to help rebuild New York City in the aftermath of September 11, by reviving the local travel and tourism industry and for securing major funding for NYC&CO to expand its global marketing initiatives, resulting in record tourism for New York City.”

The third award will honor National Geographic Traveler in recognition of “its pioneering geotourism, and working with local communities around the world to create Geotourism Mapguides that raise awareness of a destination’s endemic natural and cultural assets, thereby contributing to sustainability and community-based tourism development.”


About CHI Hotels & Resorts
Based in Malta, CHI Hotels & Resorts is a leading hands-on hotel management company that provides the full range of technical assistance and management services to hotel owners worldwide. CHI is the exclusive operator and developer for the luxury Corinthia Hotels brand as well as the Wyndham and Ramada Plaza brands in Europe, Africa and The Middle East. CHI draws on a heritage of over 48 years in delivering high quality services to hotel guests and an optimum rate of return to owners and investors in diverse business environments. CHI’s experience extends to management of luxury and upscale properties in city and resort locations and products ranging from boutique to conference and Spa hotels. CHI is owned by International Hotel Investments plc (70%) and the Wyndham Hotel Group (30%).

About Corinthia Hotels
Corinthia Hotels is a collection of five-star hotels founded by the Pisani family of Malta.  The Corinthia brand remains true to its roots as a family business, fired by a passion for craftsmanship of care, devotion to detail and intuitive, warm services.  Each of our luxury hotels and resorts created in some of the most intriguing areas of the world is a unique tribute to local architecture and cultural traditions.  Members of Corinthia’s extended family are committed to the values of honest and discreet service.  Corinthia Hotels’ portfolio includes the award-winning Corinthia Hotel Budapest in Hungary, Corinthia Hotel Prague in the Czech Republic, Corinthia Hotel St Petersburg in Russia and Corinthia Palace Hotel & Spa in Malta.  The portfolio also features Corinthia Hotel St George’s Bay in Malta, the superior five-star Corinthia Hotel Tripoli in Libya, and the modern Corinthia Hotel Lisbon in Portugal.  The latest addition to the portfolio is Corinthia Hotel London, which will soon be followed by Corinthia Taormina Golf Resort in Sicily, Italy, due to open in 2012.

About The World Tourism Award
The annual World Tourism Award, inaugurated in 1997 and celebrating its 14th anniversary, was established in 1997 by Reed Travel Exhibitions with American Express, and then joined by International Herald Tribune and Corinthia Hotels. The purpose of the award is to “recognize the extraordinary initiatives by individuals, companies, organizations, destinations and attractions for outstanding accomplishment in the travel industry.”

Past World Tourism Award Recipients:

1997 Award: “World Peace through Tourism”
Honorees: Member countries of MEMTTA (Middle East Mediterranean Travel & Tourism Association): Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Malta, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia and Turkey.
 
1998 Award: “Outstanding Economic Development Through Tourism”
Honorees: “The new emerging Europe - Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.”

1999 Award: “Outstanding Impact of Travel And Tourism on Generating Employment Growth”
Honorees: China National Tourism Administration and the Hong Kong Tourist Association

2001 Award: “The newly forged public / private sector partnership and the dramatic increase in tourism.”
Honorees: the Mexico Ministry of Tourism and the Mexico Tourism Board.

2002 Award:  “Training the Next Generation in Travel & Tourism.”
Honorees: The New York Academy of Travel & Tourism, Virtual Enterprises, International™ (career programs within the New York City Department of Education) and the Institute for Virtual Enterprise at Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York.

2003 Award: “In recognition of its leadership role in the rescue and preservation of imperiled works of art and architecture, and its devotion to onsite conservation of monuments and sites worldwide, crossing geographic, cultural, and national boundaries to preserve the world’s diverse and rich heritage for generations to come.”
Honoree: World Monuments Fund.

2004 Award: “Its extraordinary vision and pioneering work in opening the door to ‘the world” for travelers with disabilities, the mature and elderly, through educational programs for all sectors of the travel industry on how to cater to the special needs of this lucrative and rapidly expanding niche market.”
Honoree: Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH).

2005 Award: “Their extraordinary vision in forging a historic Asia-Africa Bridge of Tourism, Friendship and Collaboration”, announced at the 3rd IIPT Global Summit on Peace Through Tourism in Pattaya, Thailand, Oct. 2005.
Honorees: Africa Travel Association (ATA) and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

2006 Award: In recognition of Travel Guard International’s value-based approach to business and its philanthropic mission to give back to both the global and local communities it serves, and to encourage its employees to both raise/donate money for these global projects through its Make a Mark Foundation.
Honorees: John Noel, President and CEO of Make a Mark Foundation.

2007 Award: The 2007 Award recognized the leaders of the American Tourism Society (ATS): ATS, Alex Harris, CTC Honorary Chairman, and member of the Board of Directors, ATS and Chairman General Tours, and one of the Co-Founders of ATS; Michael Stolowitzky, Immediate Past President & CEO and member of the Board of Directors, ATS; and H.E. Senator Akel Biltaji, of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Chair, Red/Mediterranean Sea Council and Member of the Board of Directors, ATS.
They were recognized for “their extraordinary vision and inspiring leadership in their respective roles as leaders in the American Tourism Society, through which they have fostered the establishment of emerging destinations into the main stream of tourism; supported the training and development of local tourism companies and organizations; and have contributed to tourism becoming a vital factor in the fast-paced growth of employment in local economies.”

2008 Award: The 2008 Award recognized two honorees: the UNESCO World Heritage Center and Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General, Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.  The UNESCO World Heritage Center for “its outstanding guidance, support and encouragement to 185 countries around the world by establishing and monitoring 878 World Heritage Sites that will protect and preserve their irreplaceable natural and cultural heritage for the future of all the people of the world.”  Dr. Zahi Hawass for his “dynamic and committed leadership, in developing and implementing, innovative management plans to care for and protect Egypt’s world famous ancient attractions, including several UNESCO World Heritage Sites.”

2009 Award: the 2009 Award recognized three honorees: The first award was presented to Tourism Cares, honoring "its extraordinary work to preserve the travel experience for future generations by awarding grants to natural, cultural and historic sites worldwide; awarding scholarships to the future tourism workforce and organizing volunteer projects to help restore tourism-related sites;" The second award was presented to Gap Adventures, honoring "its exemplary commitment and vision to 'give back' by creating and supporting Planeterra, matching all donations to this foundation dedicated to sustainable community development worldwide through travel and voluntourism;" The third award was presented to Cyrene, Libya, honoring "Libya's unique approach in establishing an integrated model for North African Archaeological and Heritage Preservation and Management with an emphasis on the education and training of local nationals for employment in the development and maintenance of this site; and for Engineer Saif Shahat's initiatives taken to ensure the protection of Libya's Heritage Sites and the quality of its tourism."

2010 Award: There were three honorees for 2010. The first award was presented to The Travel Foundation, “in recognition of The Travel Foundation’s development of programs to support educate travel industry professionals to integrate sustainability into their business; and create positive change through community-based projects in destinations worldwide, for local economic benefit, and preservation of indigenous traditions and culture and protection of the environment.” The second honoree was the Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Ocean Fund, “in recognition of Royal Caribbean Cruises’ establishment of the Ocean Fund  which has awarded over $11 million in annual grants supporting  nonprofit marine conservation organizations in protecting the world’s oceans through research, education and development of innovative technologies.” The third Award honored the Museum for African Art (New York City), “in recognition of the Museum for African Art’s innovative travel and educational programs focusing on developing unique cultural tourism experiences that explore Africa through its art and the village craftspeople who produce it, and providing them with a sustainable source of income by creating a  market for their crafts overseas."

For more information on Corinthia Hotels visit: www.corinthia.com

For more information about the World Travel Market: www.wtmlondon.com