Award Categories 2026
Inspire Global tourism Awards
The Inspire Global Tourism Awards celebrate and encourage sustainable, positive impact tourism, across the entire tourism supply chain. The Awards stand out in their clear aspiration to drive positive impact.
The Inspire Global Tourism Awards (IGTAs) recognise and honour the leaders driving change and innovation, setting new standards and inspiring customers, and industry colleagues. The Award categories celebrate destinations, experiences, operators, and changemakers who positively inspire, innovate, and impact our industry. #StoriesInMotion
The 2026 Awards cover 8 categories plus two Recognition Awards to recognise outstanding and significant contribution to Positive Impact Tourism.
Destination of the Year
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The Destination of the Year Award celebrates destinations that embody the very best of positive impact tourism — where travel uplifts communities, protects nature, and preserves culture. This award recognises a destination that has demonstrated exceptional leadership in community collaboration and visitor education. This destination represents a living example of how tourism can be a force for good — regenerating environments, sustaining livelihoods, and inspiring travellers to journey with purpose. Inspire Global reserves the right to add geographical sub-categories, based on submission volume.
Region of the Year
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The Region of the Year Award celebrates cities, provinces or regions that embody the very best of positive impact tourism — where travel uplifts communities, protects nature, and preserves culture. This award recognises a region that has demonstrated exceptional leadership in community collaboration and visitor education. This region represents a living example of how tourism can be a force for good — regenerating environments, sustaining livelihoods, and inspiring travellers to journey with purpose. Inspire Global reserves the right to add geographical sub-categories, based on submission volume.
Accommodation of the Year
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The Accommodation of the Year Award celebrates a place to stay that proves hospitality and sustainability can coexist beautifully. This award recognises a lodge, hotel, camp, or guesthouse that goes beyond providing comfort — it offers guests a living experience of purpose, rooted in respect for people and planet. Whether through innovative design, local partnerships, or regenerative operations, this accommodation shows how tourism can restore environments, empower communities, and inspire conscious travellers. Inspire Global reserves the right to add geographical sub-categories, based on submission volume.
Experience of the Year
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The Experience of the Year Award honours a travel experience that goes beyond the ordinary — one that transforms both the visitor and the community it touches. This award recognises an initiative, program, or journey that has created meaningful impact through authentic connection, offering travellers the chance to engage deeply with people, place, and purpose. Whether rooted in cultural exchange, conservation, or community empowerment, this experience stands as a model for how travel can truly make a difference. Inspire Global reserves the right to add geographical sub-categories, based on submission volume.
Specialist UK Tour Operator of the Year
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The Specialist Tour Operator of the Year Award recognises an operator whose deep expertise, integrity, and passion have created journeys that truly matter. This award celebrates a company that designs and delivers transformative travel experiences — rooted in authenticity, responsibility, and meaningful connection. Their focus goes beyond itineraries; it’s about impactful storytelling, ethical partnerships, and measurable positive outcomes for the destinations and communities they serve. A Specialist Tour Operator must only actively sell one geographical region, and/or less than 10 destinations across multiple destinations.
Global UK Tour Operator of the Year
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The Global Tour Operator of the Year Award recognises an operator whose deep expertise, integrity, and passion have created journeys that truly matter. This award celebrates a company that designs and delivers transformative travel experiences — rooted in authenticity, responsibility, and meaningful connection. Their focus goes beyond itineraries; it’s about impactful storytelling, ethical partnerships, and measurable positive outcomes for the destinations and communities they serve. A Global Tour Operator sells multiple geographical destinations, and/or more than 10 destinations.
Community Catalyst Award
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The Community Catalyst Award recognises an individual, organisation, or partnership that has fundamentally transformed the relationship between tourism and local communities. This award honours visionary leadership, collaboration, and initiatives that empower people, strengthen livelihoods, and create long-term, sustainable benefits.
Guardians of Nature Award
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The Guardians of Nature Award celebrates a destination, organisation, or initiative that has made an exceptional contribution to environmental stewardship and biodiversity conservation through tourism. It recognises those who protect landscapes, wildlife, and ecosystems while fostering meaningful connections between travellers and nature.
Positive Impact Outstanding Contribution - Individual
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The Positive Impact Outstanding Contribution Award recognises an individual, whose work has consistently advanced positive impact tourism at a global or systemic level. This award celebrates visionaries whose innovation, leadership, and dedication have inspired change across the sector, creating ripple effects that go far beyond a single project.
Positive Impact Outstanding Contribution - Organisation
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The Positive Impact Outstanding Contribution Award recognises an organisation or project whose work has consistently advanced positive impact tourism at a global or systemic level. This award celebrates visionaries whose innovation, leadership, and dedication have inspired change across the sector, creating ripple effects that go far beyond a single project or destination.
entry process and terms & conditions
We believe positive impact tourism is to create socio-cultural, environmental and economic benefits through tourism, that enrich the lives of both visitors and the host communities.
- The Awards reward the storytellers that strike a good balance between providing their audience with a wider understanding of positive impact tourism, while painting a colourful and inspiring picture of the destination or experience discussed.
- Judges will be looking for 3 main components –
- INSPIRE – does it inspire in a way that makes you want to experience or go there?
- INFORM – does it provide you with knowledge and/or information to enquire about or book a similar experience?
- IMPACT – is there a genuine sense that the submission promotes positive impact tourism?
- There is no cost for entering the Inspire Global Media Awards 2024,
- Entrants will be asked to confirm they can attend the Awards ceremony in London on 16 April 2024 if they achieve finalist status,
- You may enter multiple categories,
- A maximum of two submissions will be permitted per category,
- All submissions must have a PDF, non-paywall weblink and/or social media handle,
- All submissions must be published between 1 March 2023 and 31 December 2023, EXCEPT for Travel Book Writer, which is valid for published books between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2023.
- All entries must be submitted via the submission form, which can be downloaded HERE (please note a separate form is required for each entry), by midnight (GMT) on 31 January 2024,
- In the event that an entry is inaccurate or incomplete, does not comply with these conditions for entry or is deemed, at the sole discretion of Inspire Global, ineligible for any other reason, then the relevant entry will be disqualified.
- Inspire Global shall consider each entry on its merits and on the basis solely of the information provided in the relevant entry,
- Inspire Global will shortlist the entries to go through to a final judging phase. The winners will be decided by Inspire Global’s appointed Judges; who are a diverse group of authors, travel editors, tour operators, and positive impact and sustainability experts,
- You will be informed whether your entry has been shortlisted in March 2024 via email,
- Shortlisted entries will be required to supply images and other information to Inspire Global to be used for display in Inspire Global’s marketing materials leading up to the Awards and during the week of the event. Entrants authorise Inspire Global to publicly display all and any such images and information provided for this purpose,
- The winners will be announced at the Media Awards ceremony on 16 April 2024, at venue tba,
- Inspire Global’s decisions relating to shortlisting and granting of Awards in the course of judging is final and will not enter into any correspondence or discussion with any entrants on any subject nor will Inspire Global accept any submissions, representations or appeals with regard to such decisions,
- Inspire Global reserves the right to:
- Disqualify entries that do not comply with these Terms & Conditions or for any other reason,
- Move an entry to another category without notice, if Inspire Global feels it would be better suited to the relevant category,
- Remove an Award category,
- Disqualify any entry that is a product of two or more companies that does not have the agreement of all parties.
The Awards Countdown
Join us in London along with media, buyers from the UK, Europe and beyond, and a carefully curated collection of suppliers and destinations from across the globe
11 November
31 January
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6 March
16 April