TravTalk India Online Magazine
The 36th World Tourism Film Awards gathered leaders from the tourism and creative industries to celebrate the year’s most inspiring and innovative tourism campaigns. Held in Valencia, Spain, the event showcased the power of storytelling, honouring productions that set new standards in tourism promotion and elevated the global industry.
This year’s awards recognised 27 outstanding productions from 16 countries as the World’s Best Tourism Films in the five competitive categories of City, Region, and Country Promotion, Tourism Products, and Tourism Services. These winners emerged at the top of the CIFFT Rankings, which gather the world’s most awarded tourism videos and campaigns and highlight industry trends.
Switzerland Tourism led the accolades with “The Ride of a Lifetime,” featuring the charismatic duo Roger Federer and Trevor Noah. This standout campaign achieved dual recognition, winning World’s Best Tourism Film as first place in the Tourism Products category and the newest CIFFT Tourism Press Award, a special accolade defined by an international panel of travel journalists. Switzerland Tourism also claimed the first and fifth places in the Country Promotion category with two other promotional videos.
Other notable winners included Visit Sweden’s viral campaign, “Sweden (not Switzerland),” which claimed second place in the Country Promotion category, and Tourism Business Council of South Africa’s “Tourism in South Africa with Trevor Noah,” which took third place. These campaigns exemplify how the use of humour can drive tourism interest and engagement on a global scale.
Representing Canada, Travel Alberta took first place in Region Promotion and secured second in Tourism Products, showcasing the diversity and beauty of Alberta’s landscapes. Portugal emerged as the most awarded country for the second year in a row, with eight productions among the World’s Best Tourism Films. Awarded productions included entries from Nazaré Municipality, NURI Conservas Pinhais Co., Tourism Centre of Portugal, Tourism Porto and North of Portugal, Caldas da Rainha Municipality, Serralves Museum, Rota Vicentina Association, and a consortium representing the municipalities of Ponte de Lima, Barcelos, Paredes de Coura, and Valença. Additionally, PORTUGALNTN, Lda. received the CIFFT “People’s Choice” Award.
The World Tourism Film Awards also recognised other video productions from Azerbaijan Airlines, Hamad International Airport, Slovenian Tourist Board, Wroclaw Tourism Organization, Promperú, Singapore Tourism Board, Zell am See-Kaprun Tourismus, Kvarner Region Tourism Office, Visit Omiš, Osaka Prefectural Government, Conil Tourism, and Bleu Evasion.
“This edition of the World Tourism Film Awards has showcased the exceptional creativity within our industry. The winning films truly exemplify the transformative power of storytelling in tourism, inspiring audiences worldwide,” said Alexander V. Kammel, Director, CIFFT. “Hosting this year’s celebration in solidarity with Valencia holds profound significance, as we stand with its people, honouring their strength and resilience.”
Organised by the International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals (CIFFT) with the support of UN Tourism, the World Tourism Film Awards are the pinnacle of the CIFFT Circuit. This prestigious competition brings together festivals from Cannes to New York, and Zagreb to Shiga, showcasing over 4,000 entries from more than 50 countries each year. With the 2025 competition now open for submissions, the stage is set for another year of industry-defining creativity.
