Nominations Open 2026 · Annual Gala 14 November 2026, Dubai. Nominate Now →
Honoring Travel Excellence · Nominations Open 2026

Travel & Tourism Awards
Recognising the World's Best

Celebrating tour operators, DMCs, OTAs, tourism boards, and travel-experience brands inspiring the world to explore.

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100+
Countries
10,000+
Nominations
2,000+
Categories
1,000+
Winners
Award Programmes for Travel & Tourism

Award Programmes You Can Enter

Travel & Tourism companies and leaders can compete across these Golden Tree programmes. Each programme has its own jury and category set — most organisations enter two or three to maximise recognition.

International Travel Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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World CEO Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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World GM Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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Golden Entrepreneur Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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Golden Women Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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Arabian Best of Best Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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Europe Best of Best Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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UK Best of Best Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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Asia Best of Best Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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America Best of Best Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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Oceania Best of Best Awards

Recognising excellence in travel & tourism at this programme. Nominations open for 2026.

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From Past Galas

Recognition Captured

Moments from past Golden Tree Awards gala ceremonies in Dubai — winners, jury members, partners, and guests across our award programmes.

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About the Awards

What the Travel & Tourism Awards Recognise

The Travel & Tourism Awards are part of Golden Tree Awards — the world's leading award management company operating out of Dubai. Celebrating tour operators, DMCs, OTAs, tourism boards, and travel-experience brands inspiring the world to explore.

Eligible organisations and individuals are evaluated by an independent jury of industry chiefs against published criteria covering performance, innovation, customer impact, sustainability, talent practices, and brand leadership. Every nominee is reviewed on merit — there is no pay-to-win, and the jury's decision is final and confidential until the Dubai gala on 14 November 2026.

Winners join a permanent global directory of award-winning organisations and gain a year-round licence to use the winner mark across all communications. The programme covers 75+ categories spanning 5 sectors within the Travel & Tourism space.

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01

Merit-Based Evaluation

Every nominee is judged on objective criteria by an independent expert panel.

02

Global Reach

Companies from 100+ countries compete on a level, transparent playing field.

04

Year-Round Value

Winners benefit from PR coverage, networking access, and licensed logo usage all year.

Who Can Participate

Eligible Organisations

🏢

Travel Agencies & Tour Operators

Companies and brands operating in travel agencies & tour operators can nominate themselves or be nominated by partners. Multiple categories per organisation are permitted.

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🌐

Destination Management Companies (DMC)

Companies and brands operating in destination management companies (dmc) can nominate themselves or be nominated by partners. Multiple categories per organisation are permitted.

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👥

Online Travel Platforms (OTA)

Companies and brands operating in online travel platforms (ota) can nominate themselves or be nominated by partners. Multiple categories per organisation are permitted.

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📈

Adventure & Experience Providers

Companies and brands operating in adventure & experience providers can nominate themselves or be nominated by partners. Multiple categories per organisation are permitted.

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🏆

Tourism Boards & Promotion Agencies

Companies and brands operating in tourism boards & promotion agencies can nominate themselves or be nominated by partners. Multiple categories per organisation are permitted.

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Golden Tree Awards gala ceremony
Nominations Open · 2025 / 2026

Ready to be recognized globally?

Join over 10,000 nominees from 100+ countries honoured at the Golden Tree Awards. Our independent, merit-based process ensures every winner truly deserves the recognition.

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Sectors Participating

The Travel & Tourism Sector Map

The Travel & Tourism Awards are organised across 5 core sectors of the travel & tourism industry. Each sector has its own dedicated category set — pick the sector that best describes your organisation and nominate against the most relevant categories.

Travel Agencies & Tour Operators

15 award categories

  • Best Travel Agency Company
  • Leading Tour Operator Provider
  • Top Holiday Planning Platform
  • Most Trusted Travel Services Company
  • Best Vacation Booking Solution
  • Leading Global Travel Provider
Nominate in this Sector →

Destination Management Companies (DMC)

15 award categories

  • Best Destination Management Company
  • Leading Travel Experience Provider
  • Top Local Destination Platform
  • Most Trusted DMC Services Company
  • Best Corporate Travel Solution
  • Leading Event Travel Provider
Nominate in this Sector →

Online Travel Platforms (OTA)

15 award categories

  • Best Online Travel Platform
  • Leading Digital Booking Provider
  • Top Travel Technology Company
  • Most Trusted OTA Services Platform
  • Best Smart Travel Solution
  • Leading Online Reservation Provider
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Adventure & Experience Providers

15 award categories

  • Best Adventure Travel Company
  • Leading Experience Tourism Provider
  • Top Outdoor Adventure Platform
  • Most Trusted Adventure Services Company
  • Best Nature Travel Solution
  • Leading Thrill Experience Provider
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Tourism Boards & Promotion Agencies

15 award categories

  • Best Tourism Promotion Agency
  • Leading Destination Marketing Provider
  • Top Travel Promotion Platform
  • Most Trusted Tourism Development Company
  • Best Visitor Engagement Solution
  • Leading Destination Branding Provider
Nominate in this Sector →
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Annual Gala · Dubai · November 2026

Your moment on the global stage.

Winners are celebrated at an exclusive black-tie gala in Dubai attended by industry chiefs, ministers, and international media. Don't miss the deadline — submit your nomination today.

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Golden Tree Awards Dubai gala

Compete in the World's Most Trusted Travel & Tourism Awards

The 2026 nomination window is open. Don't wait — early submissions get more visibility in the pre-gala media cycle.

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Award Categories

Featured Travel & Tourism Categories

75+ award categories across 5 sectors of the travel & tourism industry. Click any category to start your nomination — multiple categories per organisation are accepted.

Travel Agencies & Tour Operators

15 categories

Nominate →

Destination Management Companies (DMC)

15 categories

Nominate →

Online Travel Platforms (OTA)

15 categories

Nominate →

Adventure & Experience Providers

15 categories

Nominate →

Tourism Boards & Promotion Agencies

15 categories

Nominate →
View All 75+ Categories →
Industry Outlook

Why Travel & Tourism Recognition Matters Now

The travel & tourism sector is being reshaped by rapid technology adoption, evolving customer expectations, sustainability mandates, and increasing capital flows from both private equity and sovereign funds. Organisations that lead on innovation, customer outcomes, talent practices, and ESG are pulling ahead — and award recognition is one of the clearest signals to buyers, investors, regulators, and top talent that a company belongs in that leading group.

The Travel & Tourism Awards are designed for exactly this moment. We score nominees against a multi-dimensional rubric that includes commercial performance, operational excellence, brand strength, employee experience, customer outcomes, and contribution to sector progress — giving winners a credible, third-party narrative they can deploy in pitches, fundraising decks, hiring ads, and PR campaigns.

Nominating is a small investment of time with disproportionate upside. Even reaching the shortlist generates measurable brand lift, search-traffic gains, and stakeholder confidence. Winning compounds those benefits across the full year that follows.

87%of winning companies report measurable PR lift within 60 days
3.2×average increase in inbound enquiries after the gala
74%of B2B buyers say industry awards influence vendor shortlists
92%of past winners renominate the following year
Why Participate

Twelve Strategic Reasons to Compete

01

Global Recognition

Earn a worldwide endorsement of excellence judged on objective merit, not popularity.

02

PR & Media Exposure

Press releases, trade-press features, and social spotlights amplify your brand to millions.

03

Brand Credibility

The winner badge instantly elevates trust signals on your website, decks, and ads.

04

Marketing Advantage

Display badges and trophies across digital and offline channels — a year-round trust asset.

05

Networking Opportunities

Connect with winners, investors, and industry chiefs at our Dubai gala and year-round meetups.

06

Talent Attraction

Award-winning employers attract higher-calibre candidates and reduce hiring costs.

07

Sales Acceleration

Win rates on competitive pitches climb measurably for award-winning vendors.

08

Investor Confidence

Third-party endorsement strengthens fundraising decks and term-sheet conversations.

09

Team Morale

Public recognition energizes your team and reinforces the culture you've built.

10

Year-Round Logo Usage

License-cleared winner logo for unlimited use on collateral, packaging, and ads.

11

Featured on Website

Permanent profile in our winners directory — a high-authority backlink and brand showcase.

12

International Reach

Cross-border judging means your win travels — opening export markets and partnerships.

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How We Judge

The Six-Pillar Evaluation Framework

Every travel & tourism nominee is scored across six pillars by an independent jury. Scores are weighted, normalised, and audited — winners are decided by the data, not by influence.

01

Performance

Commercial outcomes — revenue growth, market share, profitability, and operational KPIs benchmarked against peers.

02

Innovation

Originality of approach — new products, services, business models, or operational practices that move the travel & tourism sector forward.

03

Customer Impact

Demonstrable improvement in customer outcomes, NPS, retention, and verifiable testimonials.

04

Talent & Culture

Employee experience, diversity outcomes, leadership development, and retention practices.

05

Sustainability

Verifiable ESG progress — environmental footprint, community contribution, governance practices.

06

Brand & Vision

Strategic clarity, brand strength, and a credible roadmap for the next phase of growth.

The Path

How the Selection Works

01

Nomination

Submit your entry through our online platform with supporting documentation and case studies.

02

Review

Our research team validates every nomination for completeness, eligibility, and authenticity.

03

Jury Evaluation

An independent jury of industry leaders scores each nominee against published criteria.

04

Winner Selection

Top scorers are confirmed as winners; results are sealed until the gala ceremony.

05

Gala Ceremony

Winners are honored at our annual Dubai gala with global media presence and red-carpet coverage.

Winner Package

What Winners Receive

Winner Trophy

Hand-crafted crystal-and-gold trophy presented at the Dubai gala — a permanent legacy piece.

Winner Plaque

Wood-and-metal plaque for boardroom or reception display, signed by the chairperson.

Winner's Medal

Ribbon-mounted medal for individual recipients in leadership and personal-recognition awards.

Digital Certificate & Badge

High-resolution certificate and embeddable winner badge for digital communications.

Winner Logo Licence

Full commercial licence to use the winner mark on packaging, ads, and sales material.

Media Promotion

Coverage across our newsroom, social channels, and partner trade publications.

Website Listing

Permanent winner profile on the Golden Tree Awards directory — a high-authority backlink.

Gala Invitation

Reserved seating at the Dubai gala with optional partner and team attendance.

Networking Access

Year-round invitations to winner-only roundtables and partner-led industry events.

Important Dates

The 2026 Awards Calendar

Now Open

Nominations

Submit your nomination through the online portal. Multiple categories accepted per organisation.

Aug 2026

Nomination Deadline

Final cut-off for entries. We recommend submitting at least four weeks before deadline to ensure smooth processing.

Sep 2026

Jury Evaluation

Independent jury panel scores nominees against the six-pillar framework. Shortlists are confirmed.

Oct 2026

Shortlist Announced

Shortlisted nominees

Winner Voices

Real winners. Real recognition.

Past honourees on the impact of recognition on their brand, partnerships and team. Videos play inline — no popups, no redirects.

Amber Holiday Homes

International Travel Awards

7 seas holiday hotel

International Travel Awards · London

AlRedha Insurance Broker LLC

Arabian Best of Best Awards · Dubai (UAE)

Arabica Orient Tours

Arabian Best of Best Awards · Oman

Raf Hotel Apartment LLC

World CEO Awards · Dubai (UAE)

BA CONSULTING RH

Europe Best of Best Awards · MARSEILLE, France

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