The Hamad International Airport (HIA) has been voted as the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ for the third consecutive year at the 16th Annual Global Traveler’s GT Tested Reader Survey Awards in Los Angeles.

The award recognises airports across the world for outstanding performance in providing an exceptional experience to travellers.

The Global Traveler’s awards are “highly sought after and respected as an unbiased reflection of the best” in travel through an open-ended reader survey.

On the award, Badr Mohamed al-Meer, HIA chief operating officer, said, “We are privileged to win the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ award by Global Traveler for the third consecutive year. HIA is a diverse lifestyle destination putting the passengers at the heart of the airport strategy. From our world-class art collection to contemporary shopping and dining options to endless entertainment and relaxation facilities, every corner of our expansive terminal offers pleasant surprises and an eclectic experience to our passengers. We thank Global Traveler for this outstanding recognition and our passengers for their continued support and confidence in HIA.”

HIA fosters a culture of hospitality across all operations, bringing a new dimension to travel through world-class shopping, dining and leisure experiences across 40,000 square metres. Travellers can shop many sought-after brands at more than 90 boutiques and enjoy a variety of culinary experiences in more than 30 cafes and restaurants.

Having the opportunity to relax at the conveniently located Oryx Airport Hotel, travellers can recharge at the five-star ‘Vitality Wellbeing and Fitness Center’, where they can take a dip in the 25-metre swimming pool, play squash or get a reviving spa treatment tailored to their needs. Housing more than 20 international art pieces for travellers to enjoy and be intrigued by, HIA also regularly transforms into an innovative stage for different forms of art and hosts activities at the terminal for travellers to interact with and create memorable experiences.

HIA recently revealed its plans for airport expansion with a “spectacular” 10,000 sqm indoor tropical garden, a 268 sqm water feature as well as 11,720 sqm of landscaped retail and dining concepts among other leisure attractions and facilities under one expansive terminal.

The expansion plan design will allow passenger flow to seamlessly tie-up with the existing terminal and at the same time, improve the overall passenger experience, including minimising travel distances for connections, provide clarity and intuitive way finding and to provide a unique passenger experience through the lush rainforest and garden.

Since 2004, Global Traveler is a well-known luxury publication in the US, recognised globally with a high readership of frequent luxury business and leisure travellers informing passengers about five-star airports, airlines and hotels.

HIA is currently a candidate for the ‘Best Airport in the World’ award by Skytrax, which also classified it as a five-star airport in 2017, making it one among only five other airports in the world and the only one in the Middle East to achieve this prestigious status.

Currently holding the 'Fourth-Best Airport in the World' and the 'Best Airport in the Middle East' titles, HIA continuously works to improve all aspects of the passenger experience.


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