The best of Asia and Oceania were announced last night at a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Asia and Oceania are considered individually in the regional rounds of the World Travel Awards, but winners from each region will go head to head in the global iteration of the 2023 awards, to be held later this year.
ICC Sydney was declared the leading meetings and conference centre for 2023 while the 878-room Hyatt Regency Sydney took out leading conference hotel for Oceania.
InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto was named leading business hotel for the region.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering Qantas’ woes at the moment, Air New Zealand took home both the leading airline and the leading airline brand for Oceania, while Melbourne Airport took out the airport category.
Other notable wins included IHG Hotels and Resorts taking the hotel brand category for Oceania, while The Langham, Gold Coast took home the award for best new hotel.
Millbrook Resort in Queenstown, New Zealand, took out the leading hotel category, with the 650-acre property able to host a variety of conferences and corporate events. The Residence at The George Christchurch won leading luxury hotel villa for the fourth year in a row.
The super-exclusive Saffire Freycinet in Tasmania took home leading boutique hotel for Oceania.
The South Pacific dominated in the islands categories, with The Brando in French Polynesia winning leading private island resort, while the Cook Islands won leading island destination and the Pacific Resort Aitutaki in the Cook Islands won leading resort for all of Oceania.
Melbourne Convention Bureau (MCB) are celebrating their ninth win as leading meetings and conference destination.
“This award demonstrates our city’s ongoing commitment and excellence in the business events sector,” said MCB CEO Julia Swanson.
“The appeal of Melbourne as a top-tier business events hub is a direct result of our city’s exceptional fusion of world-class infrastructure, vibrant cultural scene, accessibility, and robust industry expertise.
“Our city’s distinctive offerings not only captivate attendees, but also provide organisers with an unmatched platform to curate impactful and unforgettable events. This dynamic environment empowers conference organisers to craft engaging content and attract speakers from our pool of local researchers and academics, thereby driving delegate attendance.
“As the torchbearer of innovation and excellence, Melbourne continues to raise the bar for business event experiences. The accolade of being named Oceania’s top Meetings and Conference Destination for the ninth time serves as a reminder of the city’s enduring dedication to delivering exceptional conferences that leave a lasting imprint on participants,” said Swanson.
MCB have confirmed 172 international and national business events between now and 2028, estimated to be worth more than $762 million to the Victorian economy.
