Dubai, UAE –  June 10, 2012 – Dubai Airports was declared winner for ‘best use of a social media platform’ in the international airports category at the first ever Travel + Leisure Social Media in Travel & Tourism Awards (Smittys) announced in New York on Thursday.

 

The submission that won Dubai Airports the recognition was the now famous flash mob at Dubai International which was orchestrated late last year to promote the DXB Connect airport prepaid card and has since gone viral on YouTube with over 2.7 million hits.

 

“We are absolutely thrilled about winning this prestigious award, especially because it is one of the very few that recognises creative and effective campaigns involving the emerging media,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “It is the first major international recognition for our efforts to utilise social media platforms such as twitter, Facebook and YouTube, which are increasingly important to connect with our customers.”

 

Dubai Airports has a fast-growing presence on the social media scene with its Facebook page attracting 400,000 views and nearly 8,000 ‘tweeps’ following its twitter feed (@DubaiAirports).

 

The Smittys has three types of awards, including ‘best use of a social media platform’, ‘best single promotion through social media’, and ‘best promotion of travel deals’, open to 14 company categories including hotels, airports, airlines, cruise line and  tour operators among others. A panel consisting of independent social media specialists assembled by Travel + Leisure determined the best entry for each of the three awards in each of the company categories assessing creativity, engagement, uniqueness, and effectiveness of the entry, as applicable.