Benin and Ethiopia were the most prominent winners at the Africa Tourism Awards 2026, according to ATTA® Travel. The ceremony, also known as The Balearica Awards, took place on Sunday, 1 November at the Hilton London Canary Wharf.
The event brought together figures from across Africa's tourism sector to recognise achievements in destinations, aviation, hospitality, tourism investment, sustainability and individual leadership, ATTA® Travel reports.
Why it matters
The awards give visibility to the countries, companies and people the industry regards as shaping the continent's tourism future. For Benin and Ethiopia, coming away as the evening's biggest winners places both destinations in front of an international audience at a moment when African tourism is drawing growing interest from travellers and investors alike.
The London setting is significant in itself. Holding the ceremony in the UK capital puts African tourism operators, destination authorities and hospitality businesses directly in front of European markets and partners. ATTA® Travel describes the awards as honouring organisations, destinations and personalities working to shape the future of tourism across Africa and the wider African diaspora — a framing that treats the diaspora as part of the industry's audience and market, not a side note.
A broad field of recognition
The Balearica Awards span several areas of the sector. According to ATTA® Travel, the categories cover destinations, aviation, hospitality, tourism investment, sustainability and individual leadership.
That range reflects how tourism in Africa is assessed: not only by the appeal of a destination, but by the transport links that reach it, the accommodation and services that host visitors, the capital that builds the industry, and the sustainability practices that determine whether growth can be maintained. The leadership category acknowledges individual contributions alongside institutional ones.
ATTA® Travel reports that the awards recognised outstanding organisations, destinations and personalities helping to shape tourism across Africa and the wider diaspora. The publication did not, in its summary, detail which specific categories Benin and Ethiopia won, nor list other recipients.
What to watch
With the 2026 edition now concluded, attention turns to how Benin and Ethiopia use the recognition, and to the next cycle of the awards.
