(Posted 14th September 2026)
The Middle East’s leading travel and tourism organisations and destinations have been honoured at a VIP gala ceremony in Dubai. Industry leaders gathered at One&Only One Za’abeel to celebrate the winners of World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony 2026.
Dubai reinforced its standing as a global tourism powerhouse after being named ‘Middle East’s Leading Destination’, whilst Abu Dhabi was voted ‘Middle East’s Leading Business Travel Destination’, and Saadiyat Island claimed ‘Middle East’s Leading Beach Destination’. Saudi Arabia was recognised with titles for ‘Middle East’s Leading Heritage Destination’ and ‘Middle East’s Leading Cultural Destination’, with Riyadh declared ‘Middle East’s Leading City Destination’. Ajman was named ‘Middle East’s Leading Emerging Tourism Destination’. Sharjah’s Mleiha National Park, home to remarkable geological formations and desert landscapes, won ‘Middle East’s Leading National Park’.
In the fiercely contested hospitality sector, Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental won the coveted title of ‘Middle East’s Leading Luxury Hotel’. Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island was voted ‘Middle East’s Leading City Resort’.
In the newcomer categories, Mandarin Oriental Downtown, Dubai, won ‘Middle East’s Leading New Hotel’ and InterContinental The Red Sea Resort, Saudi Arabia claimed ‘Middle East’s Leading New Resort’.
Brand winners included Four Seasons (‘Middle East’s Leading Luxury Hotel Brand’), and The Ascott Limited (‘Middle East’s Leading Serviced Apartment Brand’).
Aviation winners included Emirates, which secured ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline – First Class’, while Emirates – Skywards claimed ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline Rewards Programme’. Etihad Airways took ‘Middle East’s Leading Cabin Crew’ and ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline – Economy Class’. Qatar Airways claimed the coveted title of ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline’. flynas took to the podium to collect ‘Middle East’s Leading Low-Cost Airline’.
Graham Cooke, Founder, World Travel Awards, says: “Our winners represent the very best of the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector and I congratulate each of them. They are all playing starring roles in raising the collective benchmark of our industry to even greater heights.”
The announcement comes as part of WTA’s Grand Tour 2026, a global search for the finest travel and tourism organisations, with other ceremonies in the Maldives, Zanzibar, Jamaica and Montenegro, culminating in the Grand Final in Tanzania.
