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Maldives to Host World Travel Awards Indian Ocean Gala 2026

Maldives to host World Travel Awards Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2026 World Travel Awards (WTA) has announced that the paradise nation of the Maldives will host its Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2026, with travel industry leaders from across the region gathering for a prestigious VIP reception on 27 September 2026 to coincide with World Tourism Day. The ceremony heralds the return of the Indian Ocean leg of the World Travel Awards Grand Tour, an annual series of red carpet events hosted in each continent. The decision reflects the strength of the travel and tourism sector in the Maldives and its leadership in the luxury, sustainability and experiential travel domains. With its crystalline lagoons, powder-white beaches and world-renowned overwater bungalows, the Maldives represents the pinnacle of barefoot luxury and remains one of the most aspirational destinations on earth. Graham Cooke, Founder, World Travel Awards, says: “It is an incredible honour to host our Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2026 in the Maldives – and what better occasion than World Tourism Day to celebrate the very best of our industry! The Maldives continues to set the global standard for luxury and sustainable tourism, and I look forward to welcoming travel leaders from across the Indian Ocean to experience the extraordinary magic of these remarkable islands.”

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Hong Kong Eyes Comeback as a Top Global Tourism Hub

Hong Kong SAR, China can re-establish itself as a go-to destination for international travellers by investing in key source markets, new World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) research reveals. The WTTC report ‘Travel & Tourism in Hong Kong SAR, China: Recovery, Gaps, and the Road Ahead’ recommends that the city invests in promotion to key source markets globally. In addition, the destination should expand its reach into higher-yield segments and new geographies, specifically targeting mainland cities beyond Guangdong, as well as fast-growing markets in ASEAN, the Middle East, and India. The recommendation is important given the fact that 76% of total inbound visitors to Hong Kong in 2025 came from Mainland China, with only 24% travelling from other global markets. Inbound visitor arrivals for 2025 are forecast to have reached 50.3 million, down 22.9% from the 2018 peak of 65.3 million. Meanwhile, spending from business travellers was set to be 16.8% below 2018 levels owing to the dual shocks of civil unrest in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic the following year. Despite facing challenges, Hong Kong SAR, China’s Travel & Tourism industry is a major contributor to the city’s economy, with WTTC estimating that the sector accounts for US$56.4 billion or 13.6% of its GDP and supported 587,000 jobs in 2025.

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Brazil Crosses 2 Million Tourist Arrivals in Early 2026 Surge

Brazil hosted more than 2.6 million international tourists in the first two months of 2026, with visitors from the United States ranking among the top four source markets worldwide. U.S. visitors during the period totaled 137,699 (over 5% of all foreign visitors). In February alone, Brazil hosted 1,287,800 visitors. The figure marks the second-best result ever recorded for that month and for the first two-month period of the year, placing it among the periods with the highest influx of international visitors to the country, according to data from Embratur, Brazil’s tourism promotion agency, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Federal Police. The total number of arrivals to Brazil in the first two months of the year is 52.9% higher than in the same period of 2024, when 1.7 million tourists visited the country.

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Spain Dominates 2026 City Break Travel with Unmatched Destinations

This year, Spain is looking more enticing than ever. Between the (almost) completion of the Sagrada Familia, Jerez being named the Spanish capital of gastronomy, a total solar eclipse, and some sporting milestones for lovers of Formula 1 and cycling, Spain is ticking all our travel boxes. Find out where to experience all this and more in the list below. Most breaks offer direct flights from the UK, while others require short car or train journeys, but they all promise an abundance of sunshine, vino and long, lazy lunches. This is shaping up to be quite the year for the Catalan capital. The biggest news from this Mediterranean mecca beloved for its lively beaches, whimsical architecture and banging nightlife is that Antoni Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece la Sagrada Familia is significantly closer to being finished (even though work on some interior features and the controversial Glory Façade staircase will still be going on). The completion of the central tower and main basilica of the world’s tallest church, under construction since 1882, will be commemorated on the 100th anniversary of Gaudí’s death with a visit from Pope Leo XIV from June 9-10.

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Marrakech Continues to Captivate as Morocco’s Timeless Red City

The rising sun sets fire to the snow-covered caps of the Atlas mountains. Within moments, the shadowy gorges are gleaming with warm terracotta hues. I turn my back on north Africa’s highest peaks and look north where Marrakech – nicknamed the Red City – rests like a jagged ruby amid the jade swathes of palms and the silvery sheen of olive groves. Swinging 800 metres (2,625ft) above the stony desert in a giant wicker basket, I try to imagine what this scene would have looked like when camel trains trooped this way, loaded with salt, spices and enslaved humans bound for Marrakech’s souks. The sky around us is filled with dozens of hot-air balloons, drifting like pollen on a Saharan breeze. The biggest of the suspended baskets hold 16 passengers, most of whom will have left guesthouses and riads in the labyrinthine old town before the dawn prayer call.

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TransNusa Expands Network with New Routes and Increased Flight Frequency

TransNusa has announced the launch of a new direct scheduled flight connecting Jakarta and Lombok, further strengthening access to one of Indonesia’s key tourism and regional travel hubs. TransNusa Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Bernard Francis said that the introduction of this new route comes on the back of the airline’s focus to increase and strengthen connectivity while boosting domestic tourism. “Lombok is not only rapidly growing as a domestic and international tourist destination but the island is also the main gateway for tourism in the West Nusa Tenggara region through its Lombok International Airport,” Datuk Francis said, adding that Lombok attracts more than 1.2 million tourists annually.

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