Tourise reveals shortlist for travel destination awards

The five categories include Best Arts and Culture Destination, Best Adventure Destination, Best Food and Culinary Destination, Best Shopping Destination and Best Entertainment Destination. 

 

There will also be a Best Overall Destination selected by the jury of tourism experts.

 

Each destination was required to have a clearly defined geographic scope; a distinct identity, and accountable stewardship through an established tourism authority. The jury also considered overall value and the quality of the experience.

 

The winners will be announced at the Tourise Summit in Riyadh, taking place from 11-13 November 2025.

 

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The summit, which is invite-only but will also be live-streamed, will focus on four core themes: the future of AI-powered tourism; disruptive business models and investment; rebooting the travel experience; and tourism that works for people, planet and progress.

 

Supported by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), and powered by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism, Tourise will bring together leaders from the public and private sector and from all over the world across tourism, technology, investment and sustainability for the first time, and aims to unlock opportunities for growth.

 

In August, Tourise named its 14-member advisory board tasked with shaping its agenda.

 

The full Tourise Awards shortlist 

Best Arts and Culture Destination

• Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• Al Ula, Saudi Arabia
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Athens, Greece
• Beijing, China
• Berlin, Germany
• Cairo, Egypt
• Florence, Italy
• Kyoto, Japan
• London, England
• Madrid, Spain
• Marrakesh, Morocco
• Mexico City, Mexico
• New York, United States
• Paris, France
• Petra, Jordan
• Rome, Italy
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Venice, Italy
• Yucatan, Mexico

Best Adventure Destination 

• Ammassalik, Greenland
• Ancash, Peru
• Annapurna Region, Nepal
• Atacama Desert, Chile
• Bali, Indonesia
• Banff, Canada
• Bariloche, Argentina
• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Julian Alps, Slovenia
• Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
• Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
• Hokkaido, Japan
• Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
• Namib Desert, Namibia
• Petra, Jordan
• Svalbard, Norway
• The Rockies, USA
• Torres del Paine, Chile
• Yosemite, USA

Best Food and Culinary Destination 

• Arequipa, Peru
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Barcelona, Spain
• Basque Country, Spain
• Bologna, Italy
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Gujarat, India
• Hong Kong, China
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Kerala, India
• Kyoto, Japan
• London, England
• Marrakesh, Morocco
• New York, United States
• Paris, France
• Rome, Italy
• Seoul, South Korea
• Tokyo, Japan

Best Shopping Destination 

• Antwerp, Belgium
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Barcelona, Spain
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Florence, Italy
• Hong Kong, China
• Istanbul, Turkey
• London, England
• Madrid, Spain
• Milan, Italy
• Mumbai, India
• New York, United States
• Osaka, Japan
• Paris, France
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Seoul, South Korea
• Shanghai, China
• Singapore, Singapore
• Tokyo, Japan

Best Entertainment Destination 

• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Al Ula, Saudi Arabia
• Bangkok, Thailand
• Barcelona, Spain
• Berlin, Germany
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Edinburgh, Scotland
• Ibiza, Spain
• Las Vegas, United States
• London, England
• Los Angeles, United States
• Mexico City, Mexico
• Miami, United States
• Nashville, United States
• New York, United States
• Paris, France
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Seoul, South Korea
• Shanghai, China
• Tokyo, Japan

For more information, visit www.tourise.com