Virgin Nigeria Airways Limited emerged the winner of the "Best Airline in West Africa" award at the 4th edition of Akwaaba Travel Market 2008 organized by the Africa Travel Quarterly (ATQ) in October 2008 at the expo centre of Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, Nigeria.

The award is one of the keys highlights of the annual Akwaaba Travel Market instituted to celebrate outstanding contributions of recipients to the development of tourism and the travel industry in West Africa and beyond.

From the Gambia, this year's travel market was attended by Madam Nancy Njie, secretary of state for Culture and Tourism; and Alieu Secka, president of the Gambia Hotel Association and some other delegates.

The 4th Akwaaba Travel Market attracted 70 exhibitors from 11 countries, 8 airlines and delegates from 15 states in Nigeria. The expo was marked by African travel awards, lectures and exhibitions, among other activities.

Receiving the award on behalf of Virgin Airline, the Head, corporate communications of the airline, Nkiru Olumide-Ojo, thanked the organizers for their consistent efforts at recognizing organizations that are building a credible image for Africa, especially the sub-region, as a tourism destination.

She reiterated that Virgin Nigeria remains committed to its vision of building a world-class airline based in Nigeria. "Our dream is to provide a seamless network that aids transportation across West Africa and beyond. Winning yet another prestigious award has further convinced all of us at Virgin Nigeria that we are on the right path in raising the bar of performance," she ascertained.

Virgin Nigeria has in the last 3 months raised standards in the domestic and regional travel patterns through the introduction of its E-190 jet that has individual In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system - the first in the sub-region.

Among those that received awards at the ATM 2008 were La Palm Beach Hotels, Accra-Ghana; and Golden Beach Hotels who went home with two prestigious awards. Akwaaba Travel Market is the only international travel expo in West Africa recognized by UNWTO. It is annually held in Lagos by ATQ Magazine.

Leading hospitality providers in the sub-region such as airlines, hotels, and other hospitality-service providers patronized the fair, which has gained a reputation for being the best hospitality awards in the West African sub-region.

The 5th edition of Akwaaba African Travel Market is scheduled for October 24-26 2009 at the usual venue, Expo Centre Eko Hotels and Suites Lagos, Nigeria.