The finest travel brands from across Europe have been honoured at the World Travel Awards in Sardinia, Italy. The industry elite gathered at Forte Village Resort on the idyllic Mediterranean island for the WTA Europe Gala Ceremony 2025 to discover who among them had been crowned the best of the best.
The red-carpet evening marked the fourth leg of the WTA’s Grand Tour 2025 – a global search for the finest travel and tourism organisations.
The breadth and depth of Portugal’s tourism offerings were highlighted with the top accolade of ‘Europe’s Leading Destination’, with its Atlantic archipelago of Madeira winning ‘Europe’s Leading Island Destination’. Spain’s Huesca La Magia collected ‘Europe’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination’, whilst Greece’s Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace was named ‘Europe’s Leading Emerging Tourism Destination’.
Cannes took the title of ‘Europe’s Leading Festival & Event Destination’, with Madrid emerging triumphant as ‘Europe’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination’. The fascinating Georgian city of Batumi was hailed ‘Europe’s Leading All-Season Destination’. Dublin enjoyed a double celebration with Trinity College named ‘Europe’s Leading Academic Tourist Attraction’ and The Convention Centre taking ‘Europe’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre’.
It has been a privilege to host our Europe Gala Ceremony 2025 on the beautiful island of Sardinia, which has hosted an incredible ceremony featuring the leading lights of travel from across the continent. Our winners are stellar examples of tourism excellence, and I congratulate each and every one for helping to raise the collective benchmark across our industry. Graham Cooke, Founder, World Travel Awards
With its turquoise waters, glorious beaches and ancient heritage, Sardinia offers a captivating blend of Mediterranean charm and timeless elegance. Nestled along the island’s southern coastline, Forte Village is a world-renowned resort with unrivalled facilities and Michelin-starred dining, set on a stunning beachfront location.
We are proud to have hosted the World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony 2025, a world renowned and well-established celebration of excellence hospitality and travel. Partnering with such a prestigious organization has been an honour, allowing us the opportunity to share our philosophy of authentic Italian hospitality and constant innovation. We were delighted to welcome so many professionals from across the hospitality world, whose presence made this occasion even more meaningful for all of us at Forte Village Resort. We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to Mr. Graham Cooke, for his vision and continued commitment to promoting excellence within our industry. Lorenzo Giannuzzi, Forte Village, CEO & General Manager
In the hospitality sector, winners at the gala reception included Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul, recognised as ‘Europe’s Leading Hotel’. Greece’s Sani Resort claimed the accolade for ‘Europe’s Leading Family Resort’, with Ikos Odisia named ‘Europe’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort’. Kaizen Hoteles was voted ‘Europe’s Leading Independent Hotel Group’. Italy enjoyed a strong showing in the sustainability categories, with Naturhotel Leitlhof taking ‘Europe’s Leading Green Hotel’.
In the aviation sector, Lufthansa was named ‘Europe’s Leading Airline’, whilst Zurich took ‘Europe’s Leading Airport’. Swiss International Air Lines enjoyed double honours, collecting ‘Europe’s Leading Airline – Business Class’ and Europe’s Leading Airline – First Class’. THE LOFT by Brussels Airlines and Lexus was voted ‘Europe’s Leading Airport Lounge.’
The full list of winners can be found on the WTA website.
About World Travel Awards
WTA was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Today, the WTA brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire. Each year, WTA covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region. For more information visit worldtravelawards.com.
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