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Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) has today named the finalists for the 2026 New Zealand Tourism Awards, recognising the quality and variety of tourism experiences on offer throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
This year saw a record 177 entries received across the 12 categories, surpassing last year’s then-record of 150 entries. Rebecca Ingram, chief executive for Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) says that the increased popularity of the annual awards is a sign of a thriving tourism industry.
“We’re delighted with the record number of entries received from a range of individuals and tourism businesses across the country. It shows that people in the industry are proud of what they’ve achieved over the past year,” says Rebecca.
“The judges remarked that the quality of the applications has also been extremely high, with more applicants taking the time to provide solid evidence to back their entries.
“The diversity of applicants this year is also a good sign for tourism; we’ve seen a high number of first-time entrants, both large and small, alongside several new tourism operators who are making a noted impact within the industry.
“These are the experiences that help showcase what New Zealand has to offer – both to international visitors and domestics travellers – and the awards serve as a benchmark of excellence and inspiration to the wider tourism industry; giving operators a chance to highlight and celebrate their amazing achievements and successes achieved.”
Winners will be announced at the New Zealand Tourism Awards Dinner on Wednesday November 4 at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre, following Tourism Summit Aotearoa.
This year’s Summit theme, Tourism Inc: Distinctive by Design, explores what it means to be ‘distinctive by design’ for both tourism businesses and New Zealand tourism. Through a mix of international and local perspectives, the event will examine how purposeful decisions can help create competitive advantage, drive innovation, strengthen global competitiveness and shape experiences that could only come from Aotearoa New Zealand.
The full list of categories and finalists are here
