Dubai: For the second year in a row, Gulf News and its sister publication Xpress won top honours at the Global Village Awards on Wednesday for articles chronicling its 21st season.
Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum presented awards at the gala dinner.
Derek Baldwin, chief reporter at Gulf News, won in the Best Article in English Publication category while Anjana Kumar, reporter at Gulf News’ sister publication Xpress, who won in the Best Coverage for English Newspapers category.
Ahmad Hussain Bin Eisa, CEO of Global Village, recognized a long list of supporters of Global Village, including a number of government agencies, thanking them for their unwavering commitment to the popular destination park.
The India pavilion was voted the best of the season beating Morocco, Egypt, US and UAE pavilions.
Bin Eisa noted that this year represented the “biggest and most successful season” in the history of Global Village.
He said that 5.6 million guests visited the park over 159 days.
“Hoping to see you again for our 22nd season,” Bin Eisa said.
“Every season, Global Village moves from one success to another and we are grateful for the contribution of various government authorities and entities, partners and the media who play a very important role in our success. The awards night is to honour the support we have received from all the members of government and private entities,” he said.
The awards ceremony recognised all the government authorities that played a key role in the success of the 21st season as well as the partners and investors who stood out in their respective categories.
“While many have played a big role in our success, there are some who have had an exemplary contribution across government and media entities, as well as partners from our investors – this ceremony is to specially honour those people.”
Recognising the government authorities’ invaluable support to Global Village, Bin Eisa said, “Government entities provide a valuable partnership which is essential to the success of every season without whose support it would be difficult to create a better experience for our guests. We continuously work very closely with all these entities across our seasons to guarantee a favourable and safe experience for all our guests.”
A video presentation gave attendees a brief overview of the 21st season and its colourful attractions noting that Global Village was “proud to be Dubai’s homegrown brand”.
Winners
Best Pavilion Facade: Egypt pavilion
Best Organised Concert: Pakistan pavilion for hosting singer Atif Aslam
Best Pavilion Initiative: Morocco pavilion for its unique heritage corner.
Best Pavilion Cultural Show: India pavilion.
Best Outlet: Escape Hunt for the game that required precise decision making to escape the maze.
