Dubai, UAE; September 21, 2006: The Montgomerie, Dubai, a full-fledged golf resort in the extensive Leisure roster of global real estate major Emaar Properties, has been adjudged ‘Dubai’s Leading Golf Resort’ at the 13-th Annual World Travel Awards (WTA).
The laurel is an endorsement by the world’s leading travel professionals on the product quality and service excellence of The Montgomerie, Dubai – one of the two golf courses in the Emaar Leisure portfolio. More than 167,000 travel professionals, including 110,000 travel agents, from 200 countries voted for this year’s edition of the World Travel Awards, described as the travel industry ‘Oscars.’
The award was announced at a gala ceremony held yesterday in Turks and Caicos Islands and broadcast globally by WTA’s official media partners – BBC World, the Entertainment Channel (US) and the Travel Channel (UK).
“The Montgomerie, Dubai was voted as ‘The Best’ in its class at the Awards, which celebrate excellence in the world’s travel and tourism industry,” said Mr Ken Kosak, General Manager, The Montgomerie, Dubai. “The award is one of the best international endorsements for us and will enhance the brand image of the facility. The Montgomerie, Dubai already enjoys the patronage of golf enthusiasts from all over the world and winning “the Best” in its class underscores our commitment in providing a 5-star product.”
The Montgomerie, Dubai features a 7,266-yard championship golf course designed by eight-time European Order of Merit winner and Ryder Cup star Colin Montgomerie, in association with Desmond Muirhead. The links-land style course is consistently ranked as one of the top two courses in the Middle East, offering 81 bunkers and 14 lakes, along with generous fairways and deceptive greens that will both challenge and entertain all levels of golfer.
“This prestigious award underpins Emaar’s core competency of developing value-added lifestyle options,” said Christo Diamandopoulos, Director Emaar Leisure. “Emaar pioneered the concept of master-planned communities with the Emirates Hills development in 1999. Today, the company has handed over more than 14,000 homes in Dubai and built several self-sustaining neighborhoods. One of the key components in this growth was the addition of leisure elements – such as golf-side and marina living. The Montgomerie, Dubai indeed has served as a new lifestyle alternative for Emaar residents.”
Managed by Troon Golf, the Montgomerie, Dubai has 5-star on-course accommodation, sophisticated dining outlets, the renowned Academy by Troon Golf, and Banyan Tree’s Angsana Spa. “The award is the result of the exceptional services provided by the Troon Golf operations team,” said Mr Kosak. “By offering unparalleled guest service on a daily basis, the Troon Golf team has redefined the parameters of service excellence and thereby ensures the continued patronage of international golfers.”
WTA nominations are based on previous year’s voting. Regional geographical categories are broken down from the Whole World category into eight areas - Africa, Asia/Pacific, Caribbean, Central and Latin America, Europe, Middle East, North America and South America. These are further divided into all specific areas of the travel industry. Additional worldwide awards covering specific markets, such as World's Leading Sports Resort, World's Leading Private Island, among others, broaden the scope of the voting.
Voting for the awards is done on-line at the WTA web site with most leading travel web sites offering additional on-line voting facilities. The Middle East reported a 14 per cent growth in voting this year, underscoring the emergence of the region as a strong tourism destination.
Emaar Properties conceptualized its leisure division to ensure that residents in its communities have access to exceptional sport and recreation facilities. The Emaar Leisure portfolio includes The Montgomerie, Dubai; Arabian Ranches Golf Club; The Dubai Marina Motor Yacht Club; The Dubai Polo and Equestrian Club; Hayya! Health clubs and Nuran Serviced Residences.
