It’s time to announce the shortlist for this year’s Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award. Sponsored by the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, this is our groundbreaking initiative to celebrate best practice in tourism and hospitality.
We were thrilled to receive our highest number of applications yet for the 2026 edition, representing organisations all around the world committed to progressing gender equality in their regions. With our application form designed as a tool for self evaluation, applying shows a willingness to share learnings and a motivation to grow. We thank all the applicants for being a part of the movement.
As you can read below, our shortlisted candidates showcased a wide variety of policies and practices that make their workplaces, supply chains and local communities more gender equal – from career-related training initiatives, to supporting local women-led climate action projects.
Amazon Emotions
Amazon Emotions is a conservation-driven ecotourism company specialising in transformative travel experiences across the Brazilian Amazon. Their application showcased comprehensive training initiatives that embed gender equality within the organisation’s operations, from anti-sexual harassment training to leadership training focused on inclusive management.
Amba Yaalu Kandalama
A highly commended candidate in 2025, Amba Yaalu Kandalama is Sri Lanka’s first women-led hotel, with women making up all 91 members of the team. They have built the organisation around gender equality, which is especially significant in the context of low participation of women in Sri Lanka’s tourism industry. In this way, the hotel is helping change social norms in the country.
ChooseLatam
Ecuadorian DMC ChooseLatam specialises in the MICE industry and provides comprehensive gender-sensitive support for both its core team members and freelancers. Management has completed gender, inclusion and non-discrimination training to strengthen internal policies and induction processes and has also extended gender-responsive decision-making in the supply chain, including creating opportunities for women in vulnerable conditions.
Diani Sea Lodge
Diani Sea Lodge is a Kenyan hotel resort which promotes gender equality through initiatives such as an apprenticeship programme with a gender focus, providing young women with professional training, mentorship, and exposure to career opportunities in hospitality. The company also develops female talent for supervisory and management roles through targeted coaching, mentorship, and succession planning.
Ecosphere
Social enterprise Ecosphere leads guided trips in the Himalayas, where they have brought local women into the tourism value chain through the development of a homestay network. In addition, they run gender awareness training for all employees tailored to tourism and hospitality, as well as initiatives such as providing financial support for the education of their employees’ daughters.
Halisi Africa Discoveries
Offering trips that empower women across Kenya and Tanzania, Halisi Africa Discoveries demonstrated a commitment to internal policies promoting gender equality combined with support for community climate action initiatives that facilitate local women’s empowerment. Likewise, they curate itineraries around women-led businesses, ensuring resources and income trickle down directly to women in the community.
Justice Tourism Foundation
The Justice Tourism Foundation promotes socially responsible slow travel holidays in Uganda. The company has a dedicated Gender Research Officer, whose role involves examining gender issues through the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of its programmes. Other ways they’re advancing gender equality include providing microfinance training, counselling for women who’ve experienced abuse, and sponsoring the education of team members’ children.
Nomad Africa
Women empowerment is one of East African travel company and magazine publisher Nomad Africa’s regenerative pillars, a commitment which is backed up by a thorough gender and diversity policy. With women making up the majority of their leadership team, they’re also passionate about empowering and mentoring women into senior roles.
Sama Sama International
Sama Sama International’s mission is to make the tourism industry more inclusive of marginalised communities and their stories. They help equip other organisations with tools and insights to embed gender equity into their training, CSR initiatives, and public engagement. The organisation’s gender awareness training supports ethical, trauma-informed tour co-creation by strengthening understanding of gender equity, power and safety in storytelling spaces.
Village Ways
Social enterprise Village Ways partners with over 30 villages on community-based tourism in rural India. Over 200 women within the communities they work with have been trained in homestay management, guiding, hospitality and enterprise development. They also lead gender awareness training for employees and community members, while bringing local women entrepreneurs and Self-Help Groups into the supply chain.
Championing Gender Equality at ITB Berlin
Deciding our winners is now in the hands of our expert judging panel, before they’re revealed in an award ceremony at ITB Berlin.
The presentation of the award will be followed by a panel discussion on the work to create a more equitable industry, featuring GSTC’s Michelle Janke, award judges Rika Jean-Francois and Hector de Castro, and our winners.
Join us at 2.15pm on Thursday 5th March, at the LGBTQ+ Pavilion Stage, Hall 4.1.
Before we announce the 2026 champions, why not learn about last year’s winners? Find out why Community Homestay Network and Responsible Travel Ecuador impressed judges in our write-up of the 2025 award ceremony.