Hong Kong International Airport was adjudged Asia’s Leading Airport for 2023 at the 30th World Travel Awards announced in Ho Chi Minh City earlier this month. HKIA took the top spot from regional rival Singapore Changi Airport, which has won the award 15 times since the World Travel Awards first started in 1993.
Hong Kong was nominated in this year’s Asia’s Leading Airport category along with 11 other airports across Asia, including Beijing Capital International Airport, Incheon Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and Narita International Airport, as well as Changi.
Two of Hong Kong’s airline lounges also took home awards. Cathay Pacific’s ‘The Wing, First’ was crowned this year’s Asia’s Leading Airline Lounge — First Class, while Plaza Premium First was deemed the region’s Leading Airport Lounge for 2023.
In addition, Kai Tai Cruise Terminal had the distinction of being named Asia’s Leading Cruise Port, an honour last bestowed on Ha Long International Cruise Port in Vietnam. The Peninsula, Hong Kong bagged the Asia’s Leading Heritage Hotel award, which was won by Raffles Singapore for the previous three years.
While Cathay Pacific was in the running for Asia’s Leading Airline — an award the carrier last won in 2018 — it lost out to Singapore Airlines, which has won the honour every year since 2019.
The World Travel Awards selects its annual regional winners from a final shortlist of nominees that includes the previous year’s winner in each category, two runners-up, and other “vetted and approved” entries. The winners are then selected through a voting process that includes qualified executives working from the travel and tourism industry and consumers.
This year’s awards cover a range of travel-related categories across in each region, from Leading Adventure Tourism Destination (Japan) and Leading Boutique Hotel (The Postcard on the Arabian Sea, Maravanthe Beach, India), to Leading Cultural Tourist Attraction (Tam Chuc Complex, Vietnam) and Leading Dive Destination (The Philippines).
Earlier this year, Cathay Pacific was voted the world’s eighth-best airline at Skytrax’s World Airline Awards. The Hong Kong flag carrier also bagged the World’s Best Inflight Entertainment award.
Header image credits: Leung Cho Pan via Canva
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