For the ninth consecutive year, the World Travel Awards, the
prestigious awards ceremony that acknowledges significant achievements
in all areas of the travel and tourism industry, has named Visa the
"World's Leading Credit Card."
The prize was awarded based on a worldwide online poll of travel
agencies and frontline travel agents. Criteria used in evaluating
companies and organizations include scope of distribution,
convenience, and overall best services.
"Visa is delighted to receive this award on behalf of its 20,000
member banks," says Tom Shepard, executive vice president, Global
Marketing Partnerships and Sponsorships, Visa International. "Visa
continues to grow with the travel industry, working with merchants by
providing merchants with access to millions of Visa cardholders and
providing cardholders with unsurpassed acceptance worldwide. In
addition, through travel and entertainment programs linked to Visa
payment cards, cardholders receive added value that goes beyond the
convenience and confidence that Visa provides. We are honored to
receive this accolade from one of the industry's most important awards
programs."
The online voting took place throughout 2006 at
www.worldtravelawards.com. This enabled over 167,000 travel agents and
professionals in over 200 countries worldwide the opportunity to let
the world know who they think are the best in the travel industry. The
winner was chosen from the following payment cards -- American
Express, Diner's Club, JCB, MasterCard and Visa.
"Visa has won 'World's Leading Credit Card' for nine years
running, maintaining its position consistently over this period," says
president and founder of the World Travel Awards, Graham Cooke.
"The awards take into account the views of tens of thousands of
travel agents and professionals worldwide -- over two million votes
are cast during our five-month independent survey period -- and the
fact that no-one has been able to knock Visa from the top spot for
nearly a decade is testament that it has a credit card offering that
is unbeatable. This is due to Visa's continued focus on excellence and
value-added services for travelers, such as its innovative online
travel portal.
"Since founding the World Travel Awards in 1993, we have seen a
growing sophistication in the travel and tourism trade and increased
competition. Our winners have always been at the forefront of this
process with their initiatives and products and Visa is one of these
companies. This year's winners are no different, even with soaring oil
prices and terrorist threats, our winners have continued to survive
and thrive -- they've seen challenges as opportunities and led the way
for the industry.
"Voted for independently by travel professionals worldwide, our
award winners are having a major impact and influence on the world's
travel and tourism industry. They are the true innovators and
benchmarks for our trade, especially in the areas of customer service,
technology, operational efficiency, product offering and style,"
explains Cooke.
Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards held its 13th annual
World Travel Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, 20 September 2006, at
Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort and Spa, Providenciales. The World
Travel Awards honors leading travel-related organizations in worldwide
and regional categories, which range from airlines, hotels, beaches
and cruise lines to credit cards, car rental companies and hotel
reservation services.
Visa International is a strategic partner with many of the leading
global corporations and merchants, creating retail and T&E promotions
that deliver extraordinary values to Visa cardholders worldwide.
Visa's extensive merchant relationships and marketing partnerships, as
well as its unsurpassed acceptance around the world, are driving
Visa's growth in the retail and T&E arenas.
Visa also has created an innovative, interactive, online travel
portal, "Visa Destinations," which provides Visa cardholders with
exclusive offers and values from a select group of global travel,
retail and entertainment merchants. Featuring a wide range of valuable
offers and information, this user-friendly travel planning website can
be accessed at www.visadestinations.com. The site contains retail,
travel and entertainment offers from hundreds of merchants in key
destination markets or by designated category around the world.
For more information on the 2006 World Travel Awards or for a
complete list of winners, visit www.WorldTravelAwards.com .
About Visa: Visa connects cardholders, merchants and financial
institutions through the world's largest electronic payments network.
Visa products allow buyers and sellers to conduct commerce with ease
and confidence in both the physical and virtual worlds. As an
association owned by 20,000 member financial institutions, Visa is
committed to the sustained growth of electronic payment systems to
support the needs of all stakeholders and to drive economic growth.
For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.
