21st World Travel Awards: Oscars of the travel industry go to Kenyan hotels in 2014

After a slump in the tourism sector in Kenya, the 21^st World Travel Awards, issued on September 5, 2014, have voted many Kenyan hotels, spas, and eco-lodges among Africa’s best.

Diana Beach on the Kenyan coast has been voted best beach destination in Kenya. This award is equivalent to an Oscar in the travel industry (reports Daily Nation, October 6, 2014, www.nation.co.ke). Also in Diana, the Leopard Beach Resort & Spa was voted Africa’s top spa resort for the second year in a row. It was also voted Kenya’s leading beach resort. The 21^st World Travel Awards conferred the awards on the Kenyan coastal area along with the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa for Africa’s leading eco-hotel.

The Sarova Shaba Game Lodge in Samburu, northern Kenya, won Africa’s leading eco-lodge. The world famous Maasai Mara was awarded Africa’s leading national park. In the safari camp section of the awards, Gamewatchers Safaris and Porini Camps were named African top performers.

The Kenyan Tourism Board was also named Africa’s leading tourist board for the third year in a row, beating South Africa. Kenya Airways was voted the best airline in Africa in the business class category. Twiga Tours and Abercrombie & Kent were voted the continent’s top companies in the ‘most responsible tourism and luxury safaris’ categories.

Overall, Kenya tied with South Africa with the highest number of winning tourism companies and resorts in Africa (17 of them) with Morocco second (with 14 top awards) and Nigeria in third position with 8 awards.

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