Ahead of the upcoming World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2016, which will welcome hundreds of hospitality leaders to Diamonds La Gemma dell’Est in Zanzibar, Tanzania, on April 9th; World Travel Awards (WTA) has reached an agreement with Realtours and the Associação Empresarial de São Tomé e Príncipe to host the World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony in 2017.

São Tomé & Príncipe is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa, off the northwestern coast of Gabon.  The two archipelagos is the second-smallest African country after Seychelles.

São Tomé & Príncipe has been chosen to host the African Gala Ceremony in 2017 in an event that will bring all relevant African players in the industry to the country. Each year WTA covers the globe with a series of regional Gala Ceremonies staged to recognize and celebrate individual and collective successes within each key geographical region. With the announcement of São Tomé & Príncipe, the 2017 line-up of destinations is expected to be a stunning celebration of excellence and outstanding achievements in the hospitality industry.

World Travel Awards celebrates its 23rd anniversary this year and since its inception in 1993, it is recognized globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Each year WTA covers the globe with a series of regional Gala Ceremonies staged to recognize and celebrate individual and collective successes within each key geographical region and across all sectors of the tourism industry.