On its 11th Anniversary in the South Asian region, Travel + Leisure India & South Asia announced the results of its sixth edition of the India’s Best Awards today. The polling was conducted through their website over a period of two months since September this year, which culminated in the announcement and Awards Ceremony at the Nandiya Gardens, ITC Maurya, New Delhi.

The polls secured a record total of 1,48,941 votes this year, an overwhelming increase of around 30% since last year. The guest of honour for the evening, Press Department and Official spokesman of the German Embassy, Mr. Hans Christian WINKLER delivered a key note speech and presented a few awards. Mr. Inaki Vitorika, Cultural Counsellor of the Embassy of Spain, and Mr. Sujit Banerjee, Secretary General, World Travel and Tourism Council were some of the  guests who graced the occasion.

With 97 awards across 57 categories that range from the best country, emerging destination, cruise, business hotel, airport, destination spa, and honeymoon destinations in India and across the world, thousands of Travel + Leisure India & South Asia’s discerning readers have voted robustly and discriminatingly and the competition was very close in most categories. Additionally, the last two awards for the evening were decided by travel community Tripoto, for the best writer and photographer. This year a new category was also introduced, that of Best Digital Influencer, seeing it as an inevitable inclusion to the world of travel this year, and it was won by photographer, blogger, and Instagrammer Rufus Reynolds.

The evening was managed by agency Brains on Brands. It saw many known names in the travel and lifestyle industries. Celebrity beautician Shahnaz Hussain, Priya Paul, Chairperson of The Apeejay Surendra Park Hotels, eminent fashion designer Raghavendra Rathore, and Kalyani Chawla, Founder, Lulu & Sky are some of the people who were invited to present the awards.

This year, the Best State award had joined winners, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu; Kerala and Jammu & Kashmir were absolute favourites when it came to romantic getaways and was voted the Best Honeymoon Destination by Travel+Leisure India & South Asia readers.

Coming to international destinations, Travel+Leisure India readers surprised us with their travel choices this year. For the Best Heritage Destination voters were divided between Israel and Mexico, for Best Emerging Destination, Korea and Bahrain secured top spots, while Singapore Airlines and Emirates bagged the Best Airline (International).

“Travel+Leisure India & South Asia is undoubtedly the market leader in the luxury travel segment in India. Travel+Leisure is entirely devoted to connecting high net worth individuals to the world’s most extraordinary places and curate unmatched premium experiences, weather in print or digital. For our readers travelling is their lifestyle, and we are proud that so many of them voted for their favourites to make them win accolades at this year’s spectacular Travel+ Leisure awards,” says Björn Rettig, CEO Burda India.

“It is with great pleasure that we host India’s Best Awards every year. Over the past two months, our team has tabulated the votes that over 450 nominees have received in 57 categories through our online voting process on travelandleisureindia.in. In our sixth edition of India’s Best Awards this year, we introduced 10 new categories so that due credit is given to destinations and hotel brands that have re-positioned themselves anew. These include awards for the Best Luxury Hotel Chain-India, which went to ITC Hotels, Best Domestic Food Destination which went to West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, and Best International Adventure Destination which went to Canada and South Africa,” says Parineeta Sethi, Director, Exposure Media Marketing Private Ltd.

A complete list of winners follows: 

India’s Best Awards List 2017

INTERNATIONAL 

Best Country – Switzerland 

Best City – Dubai, UAE & Melbourne, Victoria

Best Emerging Destination – Korea & Bahrain

Best Heritage Destination – Israel & Mexico

Best Honeymoon Destination – France & Thailand

Best MICE Destination – Hong Kong & Japan

Best Wedding Destination – Abu Dhabi & Macau

Best Food Destination – Rome, Italy & Madrid, Spain

Best Family Destination – Austria

Best Luxury Destination – Baden Baden, Germany & Monte Carlo

Best Adventure Destination – South Africa & Canada

Best Business Hotel – Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, Dubai

Best Heritage Hotel – The Fullerton Hotel, Singapore

Best Luxury Resort – Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Maldives & The Venetian Macao

Best Hotel Group – Hyatt Hotels Corporation & AccorHotels

Best Destination Spa – Palazzo Versace Dubai & Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort

Best Hotel Loyalty Programme- SPG - World of Hyatt

Best Golf Resort- Address Montgomerie, Dubai 

Best Luxury Safari Resort- Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, South Africa 

Best Amusement Park- Dubai Park & Resorts

Best Theme Park- Universal Studios Singapore

Best Integrated Resort- Resort World Sentosa, Singapore

Best Cruise- Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Best One-Stop Shopping Destination – Bicester Village, UK & Fashion Island California

DOMESTIC

Best State – Gujarat & Tamil Nadu

Best Emerging Destination – Assam

Best Heritage Destination – Madhya Pradesh & Odisha

Best Honeymoon Destination – Kerala & Jammu & Kashmir

Best Wedding Destination – Goa & Rajasthan

Best Family Destination – Himachal Pradesh 

Best Spiritual Destination – Bihar

Best Adventure Destination – Sikkim 

Best Food Destination – Andhra Pradesh

Best New Hotel – The LaLit Mangar, Faridabad & Andaz Delhi

Best Heritage Hotel – Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad & The Imperial New Delhi

Best Boutique Hotel – Namah  & Niraamaya Retreats Cardamom Club, Kerala

Best Hotel for Women Travellers – The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences & Park Hyatt Hyderabad

Best Business Hotel – Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre & Le Méridien New Delhi

Best Family Hotel – Fairmont Jaipur & InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort

Best Luxury Business Hotel – Park Hyatt Chennai & The St. Regis Mumbai

Best Luxury Hotel - The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra & ITC Grand Bharat, Gurugram

Best Luxury Resort – Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa & Kumarakom Lake Resort, Kerala

Best Destination Spa – Shamana Spa, Grand Hyatt Goa & Ananda Spa, Ananda in the Himalayas, Rishikesh

Best Hotel Group – The Park Hotels 

Best Luxury Hotel Chain – ITC Hotels

Best Airport-International- Singapore Changi Airport

Best Airline- International- Singapore Airlines and Emirates 

Best Airport-India- Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi

Best Airline-Domestic- Vistara

Best Airport Lounge- Etihad, Abu Dhabi & Lufthansa, Frankfurt

Best Duty-Free Shopping- Delhi Duty Free & Munich Airport Duty Free

Best Luxury Travel Curator- TUI & Cox & Kings India 

Best Travel Photographer (Tripoto Powered) – Aamir Wani 

Best Travel Writer (Tripoto Powered)– Sreshti Verma

Best Digital Influencer – Rufus Reynolds