GDS-Movement Announces the Winners of the 2026 GDS-Awards, Celebrating Excellence in Sustainable Tourism

Global Destinations Sustainability Movement (GDS-Movement) reveals the winners of Innovation, Impact, and new Changemaker Awards, recognising leading destinations driving positive transformation across the tourism and events sectors.

Szczecin, Poland | 17 June 2026 – The GDS-Movement is proud to announce the winners of the 2026 GDS-Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements in advancing sustainability, regeneration, and positive impact across tourism and events globally.

The awards recognise excellence across three categories:

• Innovation Award
• Impact Award in collaboration with #MEET4IMPACT
• Changemaker Award (new for 2026)

The winners were revealed during the GDS-Awards Ceremony, held as part of the GDS-Forum and Impact Day in Szczecin, Poland.

2026 GDS-Awards Winners

Changemaker Award Winner (NEW)

Fanny Beaulieu Cormier, Tourisme Montréal

Recognised for an outstanding contribution to advancing regeneration within a destination.

“I have dedicated my career to sustainable tourism for more than eight years. This appointment fills me with immense pride and reflects the work we have accomplished with our partners to transform Montreal’s tourism sector into a more sustainable, inclusive model that generates positive benefits for the community. Strategic alliances focused on biodiversity conservation, local sourcing, inclusive and Indigenous tourism, as well as visitor education and trainings for our local stakeholders, have been particularly successful.”

– Fanny Beaulieu Cormier.

Impact Award Winner

Failte Ireland, Republic of Ireland

Recognised for its business events impact and legacy programme.

“On behalf of Fáilte Ireland, we are proud to see Team Ireland winning the GDS Impact Award. At Fáilte Ireland, we were proud to submit our Impact and Legacy Programme for this award.

This programme, which was co-created with Ireland’s Business Events Ecosystem is transforming how association conferences deliver value, placing emphasis on economic, social and environmental impact. Through practical and financial supports, we are supporting and encouraging the integration of purposeful impact into event design.

Aligned with Government priorities and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, this work is helping to build long-term legacy, strengthen communities, sustain jobs, and position Ireland as a global leader in delivering purposeful, sustainable business events.”

– Paul Mockler, Head of Commercial Development, Fáilte Ireland

Innovation Award Winner

Gdansk Tourism Organization

Recognised for the “Nothing about us without us” initiative supplying accessibility audits and communication cards as tools for inclusive destination change.

“Receiving the GDS-Movement Innovation Award is a great honour for Gdansk and a strong motivation to continue our work. With this project, we wanted to show that accessibility is not an abstract idea or an additional feature – it is a practical way of designing better destinations for everyone.

This initiative was shaped together with people with disabilities and people with diverse accessibility needs. Their voices help us understand how places are truly experienced and what needs to change.

Our hope is that this project will inspire other destinations to make accessibility more visible, practical and universal – and that the Communication Card will one day become a standard in customer service, improving the daily lives of millions of people.”

– Łukasz Wysocki, President of the Board, Gdansk Tourism Organization

Shortlisted Applicants and Nominees

(in alphabetical order of city/region or surname)

Changemaker Award Shortlist (Nomination-based)

• Fanny Beaulieu Cormier, Tourisme Montréal
• Jac Callan, Visit Belfast
• Matti Pollari, Visit Tampere
• Petra Stušek, Ljubljana Tourism

Impact Award Shortlist (Application-based)

in Collaboration with #MEET4IMPACT

• Barcelona Convention Bureau
• Invest in Bogotá
• Göteborg & Co, Gothenburg Convention Bureau
• Failte Ireland

Innovation Award Shortlist (Application-based)

• VisitAarhus
• Gdansk Tourism Organization
• Göteborg & Co
• Culture Liverpool
• Ottawa Tourism

GDS-Movement Statement

Guy Bigwood, CEO, GDS-Movement, said:

“The 2026 GDS-Awards winners exemplify the bold leadership and innovation required to transform tourism and events globally. These powerful initiatives and individuals demonstrate how destinations can deliver measurable environmental and social impact while strengthening resilience and competitiveness.”

He added:

“We introduced the Changemaker Award to show our commitment to celebrating those individuals driving transformation through leadership to benefit communities, partnerships, and people. They inspire us all to continue creating lasting change together.”

#MEET4IMPACT Statement

Genevieve Leclerc, Co-founder and CEO, #MEET4IMPACT, said:

“The Impact Award sets the standard for what the business events industry must deliver: real, measurable change that benefits all. This year’s winner proves that events and destinations are not just participants in sustainability, but powerful drivers of transformation at scale.”

Esteemed Panels of Judges

Innovation Award Judges

• Roger Lehner, IMEX Group
• James Lancaster, Northstar Meetings Group
• Rikke Holm Petersen, Wonderful Copenhagen
• Jane Cunningham, Destinations International
• Steen Jakobsen, GainingEdge

Impact Award Judges (with #MEET4IMPACT)

• Elegast Monbaliu, European Academy of Childhood Disability (EACD)
• Ksenija Polla, Talley Management
• Vicky Koffa, Boardroom Magazine
• Bénédicte Losseau, Exempla Management & Consulting
• Inga Davison, Business Event Sydney (BESydney)

Changemaker Award Judges

Selected through live audience voting at the GDS-Awards Ceremony during GDS-Forum and Impact Day 2026 on the evening of 17 June.

About the GDS-Awards

The GDS-Awards recognise excellence in destination leadership, innovation, and impact, highlighting initiatives that contribute to a more regenerative and resilient tourism and events sector.

About the GDS Movement

The GDS-Movement is a pioneering, data-driven international change agency that acts to catalyse socio-economic and environmental transformation in cities and regions across the world. Our mission is to empower tourism and events professionals with the mindsets, skill sets, and toolsets to co-create more regenerative and resilient destinations to visit, meet, and live in.

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