African Travel and Tourism Association Announces 2026 for Action Awards Winners at Experience Africa in the United Kingdom, Celebrating Outstanding Leaders Driving Sustainable Tourism, Community Impact and Economic Growth Across African Destinations

Written By: Ricky Acharjee

Ricky Acharjee

I am travel writer at Travel And Tour World with 3 years of experience covering global tourism, aviation, hospitality, and destination news. Dedicated to accurate reporting and compelling storytelling, Ricky explores the trends, innovations, and developments shaping the international travel industry while delivering engaging insights for travellers and industry professionals.

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June 23, 2026 7:30 PM

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The African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA®) has officially revealed the winners of the 2026 ATTA® for Action Awards, announced at the conclusion of the opening day of Experience Africa, the United Kingdom’s largest travel trade exhibition focused exclusively on promoting tourism across the African continent.

Now in its third year, the awards continue to highlight organisations and individuals delivering measurable environmental, social, and economic benefits within Africa’s tourism industry. This year’s edition attracted over 100 submissions spanning ten competitive categories, reflecting the growing global emphasis on responsible and impact-driven travel development across African destinations.

Each winner was presented with a uniquely crafted trophy produced by the FlipFlopi Project, an East African initiative championing the elimination of single-use plastic waste through community-led circular economy models. The organisation is globally recognised for building the world’s first sailing dhow made entirely from recycled plastic. The trophies, unveiled for the first time during the ceremony, symbolised sustainability, innovation, and grassroots environmental action.

2026 ATTA® for Action Awards Winners Announced

The 2026 winners span conservation leaders, eco-innovation pioneers, community-focused tourism operators, and sustainability advocates working across Africa and beyond:

• ATTA® Purpose & People Award — TAMàNA (Madagascar)
• ATTA® Earthkeepers Award — Gamewatchers Safaris (Kenya)
• ATTA® Eco-Innovation Award — Porini Safari Camps, Gamewatchers Safaris (Kenya)
• ATTA® Zero Waste Trailblazer Award — Sirikoi Lodge (Kenya)
• ATTA® Community Upliftment Award — Nomad Tanzania (Tanzania)
• ATTA® Marine Impact Award — andBeyond (South Africa)
• ATTA® Collaborative Impact Award — The Safari Collection (Kenya)
• ATTA® Traveller Education and Awareness Award — Blood Lions and Marine Dynamics (South Africa) (joint winners)
• ATTA® Media Voice for Action Award — Marco Barneveld, Wide Oyster Media (Netherlands)
• ATTA® Emerging Changemaker Award — Travel4Purpose (Kenya)

Strict Evaluation Standards Highlight Real-World Tourism Impact

Every category was assessed using stringent criteria designed to identify initiatives delivering verifiable, real-world outcomes. The judging framework prioritised measurable impact across wildlife protection, marine conservation, community development, sustainable tourism practices, circular economy innovation, and traveller education programmes.

The awards are positioned not as symbolic recognition but as a benchmark for leadership in responsible tourism. Entries were evaluated on long-term effectiveness, scalability, and their ability to generate positive change for ecosystems and local communities dependent on tourism economies across Africa.

Shared Win Reflects Rising Importance of Education in Conservation

The Traveller Education and Awareness Award was jointly awarded to Blood Lions and Marine Dynamics, reflecting the exceptional strength of submissions in this category. The judging panel highlighted how each organisation contributes differently but powerfully to the same overarching goal of conservation awareness.

One organisation focuses on advocacy, policy influence, and global campaigning to shift perceptions around wildlife exploitation. The other delivers immersive visitor engagement experiences that translate awareness into direct conservation outcomes. Together, they represent two complementary approaches to shaping responsible traveller behaviour and strengthening conservation outcomes on the ground.

Gamewatchers Safaris Achieves Dual Recognition in a Landmark Year

A defining moment of the 2026 edition was the dual-category victory achieved by Gamewatchers Safaris and its Porini Safari Camps, marking the first time in the awards’ history that a single organisation has secured two separate accolades in the same year.

The company received recognition in both the Earthkeepers Award and the Eco-Innovation Award, underscoring the depth of its conservation-driven tourism model, which has evolved over nearly three decades. Its approach integrates wildlife protection, habitat conservation, and low-impact safari operations designed to minimise ecological disturbance while maximising community benefit.

This achievement highlights a consistent long-term commitment rather than a short-term sustainability initiative, setting a benchmark for integrated conservation tourism models across Africa’s safari sector.

Multi-Year Winners Reinforce Continuity in African Conservation Leadership

Several organisations have emerged as consistent leaders across multiple editions of the awards, reinforcing long-term progress in Africa’s sustainable tourism landscape.

TAMàNA (Madagascar) returns as a repeat winner, having previously secured recognition in earlier editions for eco-innovation and is now acknowledged in a new category reflecting heritage tourism leadership. This evolution demonstrates adaptability and continued impact across different dimensions of responsible tourism.

Similarly, Marine Dynamics (South Africa) has achieved multi-year recognition, previously honoured for marine conservation initiatives and now again acknowledged for its work in traveller education and awareness. This progression highlights the organisation’s expanding influence in shaping conservation outcomes through direct visitor engagement.

FlipFlopi Project Symbolises Circular Economy Values in Tourism

The decision to commission trophies from the FlipFlopi Project adds symbolic weight to the 2026 awards. The initiative, based in East Africa, is internationally known for its pioneering work in tackling plastic pollution through circular economy solutions.

By transforming discarded plastic into functional materials and even constructing the world’s first recycled plastic sailing dhow, the project embodies the same principles of sustainability, innovation, and community-driven change that underpin the ATTA® for Action Awards.

The handcrafted trophies served not only as awards but also as physical representations of Africa’s growing leadership in environmental restoration and sustainable tourism practices.

The 2026 ATTA® for Action Awards reinforce a clear message: African tourism is increasingly defined not by scale alone, but by measurable impact, sustainability, and long-term community benefit. From marine conservation in South Africa to eco-safari models in Kenya and heritage-driven initiatives in Madagascar, the winners collectively demonstrate how tourism can function as a force for environmental protection and social progress.

As the sector continues to evolve, these organisations stand as reference points for responsible tourism development, shaping how destinations across Africa balance growth with preservation in the years ahead.

Virginia Messina, Group CEO of ATTA®, said: “The ATTA® for Action Awards exist to celebrate the
organisations and individuals proving that tourism can be one of Africa’s most powerful forces for positive
change. Across the continent, we continue to see extraordinary leadership in conservation, community
empowerment, cultural preservation and environmental innovation. In many ways, African tourism
businesses have been pioneering responsible tourism practices for decades, often developing solutions that
the wider global industry is only now beginning to embrace.
“As an association, we will continue to champion evidence-based responsible tourism, showcase innovation
from across Africa, and provide our members with the knowledge, tools and inspiration they need to thrive
in a rapidly changing landscape. The future of African tourism depends on protecting the very people,
places and wildlife that make the continent so extraordinary, and these winners are showing what that
future can look like.”

The ATTA® for Action Awards are part of ATTA®’s wider mission to promote responsible tourism across Africa, while helping members deliver clear, measurable benefits for communities, destinations, and the environment.