Te Pae Christchurch in New Zealand’s second largest city was named Leading Meetings and Conference Centre in Oceania, beating Australian convention centres in Brisbane, Sydney Melbourne and Cairns.
“It is an honour to represent the Canterbury region and Aotearoa New Zealand on the international stage and to be recognised alongside some of the most respected convention centres in Oceania,” said Te Pae’s general manager, Ross Steele.
“Winning this award for the second consecutive year reflects not only the dedication of our team, but also the strength of the wider visitor economy, tourism and business events sectors working together to deliver world-class experiences for international delegates.
“Beyond its significant economic contributions, Te Pae Christchurch plays an important role in connecting international visitors with the people, culture and stories of New Zealand.
“From authentic Māori cultural experiences and world-leading sustainability initiatives to academic collaboration and industry innovation, Te Pae Christchurch creates opportunities for visitors to engage in ways that are meaningful, memorable and uniquely local,” said Steele.
Meanwhile InterContinental Wellington in New Zealand’s capital took home the award for Leading Conference Hotel in Oceania, from a pool of nominees including Crown Towers in Melbourne, the Hyatt Regency Sydney, the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, The Fullerton Hotel Sydney, The Grand by SkyCity in Auckland and the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa. It was the third consecutive win for the Wellington hotel and its seventh win since 2019.
A New Zealand destination management company took out the DMC category, with IDNZ declared the winner over Australia Inbound, JMC Destination, Ovation Australia and PPG Tours.
And Auckland won the meetings and conference destination category, with Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Wellington all nominated.
In the hotel categories, Hyatt Regency Sydney was named leading business hotel for Oceania, while the Park Hyatt Sydney was named the region’s leading hotel. The InterContinental Brisbane – which took over the previous Hilton in Brisbane – was named best new hotel, while Ayers Rock Resort at Uluru, was named best resort in Oceania. Elements of Byron in Byron Bay won the leading villa resort category.
The Residence at The George in Christchurch won the luxury hotel villa category for the seventh straight year, while the Presidential Opera Suite at the InterContinental Sydney took home the leading hotel suite prize.
PARKROYAL Melbourne Airport was announced as the best airport hotel for the region and Melbourne Airport was named best airport. Air New Zealand won both the leading airline and the leading airline brand in Oceania.
Winners in the World Travel Awards are determined by voting, both by travel and events professionals and by the general public, with industry professional votes counting for double compared to consumer votes.
The overall best in the world hotels, convention centres, conference and business hotels and destinations will be announced in December, with the winners of the individual regions around the world to vie for the global accolades.
Voting for worldwide winners will be open from October 6 to October 30.
