Avis Rent A Car was recognized by more than 160,000 travel professionals as North America's Leading Car Hire at the regional World Travel Awards for the Americas, held recently in Orlando, Fla.

The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in the travel and tourism industry.

"This honor is a tribute to the thousands of employees who try harder every day for our customers," said Tom Gartland, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Avis Budget Group. "The award also recognizes our commitment to travel professionals and their educational development. Our industry-leading Club Red travel partner rewards program and our Avis Agent training program gives travel agents all the tools and resources they need to be successful."

In addition to providing travel professionals with educational opportunities to help them better service their clients, Avis offers a suite of products and services to help customers save time and maximize their productivity.

Avis recently launched its newest version of where2 GPS navigation system. The new, slimmer unit based on Garmin's nüvi 780 model, features a larger, high-brightness display screen, turn-by-turn directions spoken in more than 40 languages and Bluetooth capability.

Customers can also take advantage of other services offered by Avis including e-Toll electronic toll collection and Avis Chauffeur Drive, which gives customers the ability to hire a professional driver to ease their trip.

For a complete list of 15th Annual Travel Awards winners, click here.