The Middle East’s travel and tourism organisations and destinations were recognised at the World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony 2026, held at One&Only One Za’abeel in Dubai.
Industry leaders gathered for the VIP ceremony, where winners across destinations, hotels, brands and aviation received regional titles.
Dubai Named Middle East’s Leading Destination
Dubai won ‘Middle East’s Leading Destination, while Abu Dhabi won ‘Middle East’s Leading Business Travel Destination’.
Saadiyat Island received ‘Middle East’s Leading Beach Destination’. Saudi Arabia took two destination titles, winning ‘Middle East’s Leading Heritage Destination’ and ‘Middle East’s Leading Cultural Destination’, with Riyadh winning ‘Middle East’s Leading City Destination’, while Ajman won ‘Middle East’s Leading Emerging Tourism Destination’.
Meanwhile, Mleiha National Park in Sharjah won ‘Middle East’s Leading National Park’. The park is known for its geological formations and desert landscapes.
Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental Wins Leading Luxury Hotel
The hospitality categories recognised hotels and brands across the region.
Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental won ‘Middle East’s Leading Luxury Hotel’. Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island was named ‘Middle East’s Leading City Resort’.
In the new-property categories, Mandarin Oriental Downtown, Dubai won ‘Middle East’s Leading New Hotel’.
InterContinental The Red Sea Resort, Saudi Arabia received ‘Middle East’s Leading New Resort’.
Four Seasons won ‘Middle East’s Leading Luxury Hotel Brand’, while The Ascott Limited won ‘Middle East’s Leading Serviced Apartment Brand’.
Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Among Aviation Winners
The aviation categories included awards for airlines, cabin classes, crew and loyalty programmes.
Emirates won ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline – First Class’, while Emirates – Skywards was named ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline Rewards Programme’.
Etihad Airways received two awards: ‘Middle East’s Leading Cabin Crew’ and ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline – Economy Class’.
Qatar Airways won ‘Middle East’s Leading Airline’, while flynas won ‘Middle East’s Leading Low-Cost Airline’.
World Travel Awards Grand Tour Continues
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 Middle East ceremony forms part of the World Travel Awards Grand Tour 2026, which recognises travel and tourism organisations around the world.
Other 2026 ceremonies are scheduled for the Maldives, Zanzibar, Jamaica and Montenegro, before the Grand Tour concludes with the Grand Final in Tanzania.
The full list of World Travel Awards Middle East 2026 winners is available through World Travel Awards.
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