Recognising excellence in commitment to gender equality in tourism and hospitality internationally.
Celebrate your success
Recognise the hard work of your team, praising their innovation and dedication to addressing gender equality.
Gain a competitive edge
Showcase your organisation as one that is leading the way towards the industry’s sustainability goals.
Create global change
Set an industry example for ways in which organisations can support gender equality in the workplace.
The Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award recognises tourism and hospitality organisations actively creating more equitable workplaces and supply chains.
As the only global platform specifically celebrating gender equality in tourism, the Award identifies organisations genuinely putting equality into practice, then helps share their approaches with others working toward the same goals.
By entering, you’ll contribute to a growing movement of practitioners willing to share what works, what’s challenging, and what they’re learning. We welcome applications from organisations of any size, anywhere in the world.
The application process is also valuable in itself. It prompts reflection on your current practices, helps identify where you’re making progress, and reveals opportunities to strengthen your approach.
In a ceremony at ITB Berlin in March 2026, we revealed the Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award 2026 winners across two categories.
After making it on to the shortlist for a second year in a row, the Accommodation award went to Amba Yaalu Kandalama, Sri Lanka’s first women-led hotel owned by the Thema Collection.
Nomad Africa won the Travel & Destinations award, standing out for an exceptionally thorough gender policy and a strong commitment to mentoring women into leadership roles.
The panel also highly commended Halisi Africa Discoveries, noting the small company’s powerful mission and vision for women’s empowerment.
Our 2026 winners follow in the footsteps of our former champions and runners-up, all of which set a shining example for others looking to carve out an equitable, responsible industry.
Nomad Africa is a Kenyan based travel company and magazine dedicated to inspiring travelers to experience the African continent from every perspective. Founded on the belief that Africa is not a single story, Nomad connects readers and travelers to journeys that deepen understanding of the continent’s natural beauty, cultures, and communities.
With women making up 70% of its team, gender equality is not a policy add-on at Nomad Africa. It is a business imperative, embedded in how the company is structured, how decisions are made, and who holds leadership. Strategic direction, creative vision, and key partnerships are all majority female-led because the team believes that diverse leadership fundamentally changes how businesses operate, how communities are engaged, and how impact is prioritised.
Nomad’s formal Gender & Diversity Policy, adopted in 2024, puts that commitment into writing. The policy commits the company to equal pay, flexible working arrangements, gender-sensitive design across operations, and the systematic collection of sex-disaggregated data to track and improve its approach over time.
Through its quarterly print magazine, Nomad Africa amplifies women’s voices that are too often overshadowed.
Nomad Africa sees this recognition as both a celebration and a call to keep pushing for greater mobility, access, and fair representation across tourism, in destinations and in the global systems that shape who gets to participate.
Produced by Equality in Tourism Trustee Dr Yasmin Begum, this podcast episode explores the origins and impact of the Award. Hear from our Co-Director Professor Stroma Cole about why she launched the initiative, as well as past winners about their gender equal practices, what they learnt from the application process, and the benefits of being recognised as a Gender Equality Champion.
We’re delighted the World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance will sponsor the Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award for a fourth year in 2026.
The Alliance drives collaborative action to enable the hospitality industry to have a lasting positive impact on the planet and its people. By working with CEOs and C-suite representatives from across the hospitality industry, alongside strategic partners, they are able to implement strategic action worldwide to create a prosperous and responsible hospitality sector that gives back to the destination more than it takes.
Their members have a reach of 7 million rooms and include world-leading hotel companies as well as regional brands.
“Inspiration ignites change, and as we proudly sponsor the Gender Equality Champion of the Year Award for the second year, we embrace the opportunity to celebrate organisations that embody the spirit of progress. In our collective journey towards Net Positive Hospitality, let us acknowledge and honour those who prioritise gender equality. This award not only illuminates best practices but also serves as a catalyst, propelling the hospitality sector towards a future where fairness and inclusivity are the cornerstone of excellence.”
Glenn Mandziuk
CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance
Sponsorship helps us keep the award going and growing, while giving industry organisations a chance to cement their reputation as gender equality and sustainability advocates.
Email our Co-Director Dr. Stroma Cole for information on a bespoke sponsorship package for your organisation.
