London, UK – 23 June 2026 – The African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA®) has announced the winners of the 2026 ATTA® for Action Awards at the close of the first day of Experience Africa, the UK’s largest travel trade event dedicated to promoting tourism to Africa.
Now in their third year, the awards recognise outstanding organisations and individuals driving positive environmental, social and economic impact across Africa’s tourism sector and received more than 100 entries across ten categories.
Each winner received a trophy handcrafted by the FlipFlopi Project – an East African movement dedicated to ending single-use plastic pollution through community-led circular economies. Makers of the world’s first recycled plastic sailing dhow, the FlipFlopi Project embodies the values these awards exist to celebrate. The trophies were revealed for the first time on the night.
2026 ATTA® for Action Award Winners
- 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)
Each award category was assessed against rigorous criteria designed to identify organisations delivering measurable impact. From ethical wildlife experiences and marine conservation initiatives to community empowerment programmes, circular economy innovations and traveller education campaigns, the awards recognise leadership that goes beyond aspiration and demonstrates tangible outcomes.
The joint award in the Traveller Education and Awareness category – shared by Blood Lions and Marine Dynamics – was a direct reflection of the quality of entries. The judges recognised the two organisations as excelling in distinct but equally vital dimensions of the same challenge: one for advocacy and policy change, the other for direct traveller engagement and measurable conservation outcomes.
This year also marks the first time in the awards’ history that a single organisation has won across two categories in the same year. Gamewatchers Safaris and their Porini Safari Camps claimed both the Earthkeepers and Eco-Innovation Awards – a result that speaks to the depth and consistency of a conservation model nearly three decades in the making. In 2024, the inaugural year of the awards, they were recognised for their collaborative approach. TAMàNA, meanwhile, returns as a multi-year winner, claiming the Eco-Innovation Award in 2025 and, this year, recognised for heritage tourism leadership in an entirely different category. Marine Dynamics similarly becomes a two-time winner across the awards’ history, previously recognised for marine conservation and this year for traveller education – a testament to the breadth of their work.
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 form part of ATTA®’s broader commitment to advancing responsible tourism across Africa and supporting members in creating measurable, positive impact for people, places and the planet.
For a full list of winners and finalists, visit: https://awards.atta.travel/winners-finalists-2026/
ENDS
High res images can be found here
ABOUT ATTA®
The African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA®) is the leading trade association promoting tourism to Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. Through its global membership spanning the entire tourism ecosystem, strategic partnerships and internationally recognised events, ATTA® connects African tourism businesses with buyers, media and industry leaders worldwide, helping drive sustainable growth and opportunity across the continent.
For more information, visit atta.travel.
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Issued by: Big Ambitions Brenda Walters
Email: brenda@bigambitions.co.za
Tel: +27 76 061 3114
