The Kingdom of Bahrain played host to the World Travel Awards (WTA) Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2025, where global tourism royalty gathered to honor the organizations and destinations pushing the boundaries of excellence and innovation within the travel industry. The high-profile VIP reception, held at the culmination of the WTA’s global search for excellence, recognized top performers across aviation, hospitality, and destination categories.
Among the night’s most prestigious winners, the Maldives secured the coveted title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’. Other top destinations recognized included Athens, named ‘World’s Leading City Break Destination’, and Chile, which clinched ‘World’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination’. Tanzania took home ‘World’s Leading Safari Destination’, while Jamaica was honored as ‘World’s Leading Cruise Destination’.
Hospitality triumphs featured The St. Regis The Palm with the ‘World’s Leading Hotel Service Award’, and Katara Hospitality was named ‘World’s Leading Hospitality Development Company’. The Tanzanian retreat, Jumeirah Thanda Island, emerged victorious as ‘World’s Leading Exclusive Private Island’.
In the debut categories, Marriott Marquis Dubai Creek was named ‘World’s Leading New Hotel’, and The St. Regis Al Mouj Muscat Resort in Oman collected ‘World’s Leading New Resort’.
Additional winners included the Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis (‘World’s Leading City Business Hotel’), and Greek resorts Ikos Resorts (‘World’s Leading Luxury All-Inclusive Resort Brand’) and Sani Resort (‘World’s Leading Family & Beach Resort’).
Arabian aviation demonstrated its strength with significant victories:
Qatar Airways secured ‘World’s Leading Airline’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline – Business Class’.
Etihad Airways was awarded ‘World’s Leading Airline – Economy Class’, ‘World’s Leading Airline – Customer Experience’, and ‘World’s Leading Airline Lounge – Business Class’.
Emirates excelled in premium travel, winning ‘World’s Leading Airline – First Class’, ‘World’s Leading Airline Brand’, and ‘World’s Leading Airline Lounge – First Class’.
Star Alliance collected ‘World’s Leading Airline Alliance’. Meanwhile, AirAsia achieved double honors, winning ‘World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline’ and ‘World’s Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew’. TAP Air Portugal claimed ‘World’s Leading Airline to Africa’ and ‘World’s Leading Airline to South America’.
The gala evening marked the climax of WTA’s Grand Tour 2025, which included regional ceremonies in Tanzania, Cancun (Mexico), Saint Lucia, Hong Kong, Sardinia (Italy), and Dubai.
Graham Cooke, Founder, World Travel Awards, congratulated the winners, stating: “It has been a privilege to host our Grand Final Gala Ceremony 2025 in the Kingdom of Bahrain, which has delivered an incredible ceremony featuring the leading lights of travel from across the world. Our winners are stellar examples of tourism excellence, and I congratulate each one for helping to raise the collective benchmark across our industry.”
The choice of Bahrain, a historic hub for trade and pearl-diving, underscores its strategic position linking East and West and its growing prominence as a MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) destination.
Sara Ahmed Buhiji, CEO of Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority and Chairperson of Exhibition World Bahrain, commented: “Hosting the World Travel Awards Grand Final demonstrates Bahrain’s capacity to deliver international events of this significance. Our investment in MICE infrastructure through Exhibition World Bahrain continues to position the Kingdom as a competitive destination for major industry gatherings.”
The ceremony also celebrated innovation and growth across the sector:
Cannes was named ‘World’s Leading Festival & Event Destination’.
Madrid collected ‘World’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination’.
Portugal’s Dark Sky Alqueva received the ‘World’s Responsible Tourism Award’.
Several destinations achieved their first-ever World title, highlighting the industry’s expanding excellence: Vietnam’s Dong Van Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark, Tuyen Quang (‘World’s Leading Regional Cultural Destination’); Spain’s Huesca La Magia (‘World’s Leading Regional Adventure Tourism Destination’); and Cancún Convention & Visitors Bureau (‘World’s Leading City Tourist Board’).
