Finalists Announced: Arival Spotlight Awards 2025

We’re thrilled to announce the finalists for our third annual Arival Spotlight Awards. Learn more and meet the finalists for each category!

by and | 23 September 2025

The votes have been tallied for the third annual Arival Spotlight Awards, and it’s time to announce the incredible top finalists for each category. 

The Arival Spotlight Awards are designed to highlight the global in-destination experiences industry, celebrating innovation and excellence in tours, activities, attractions and experiences. Nominations were open to anyone until 1 August 2025 and the finalists for each category were chosen by a panel of our distinguished and impartial experts: leaders in marketing, tour and attraction operations, research, technology and other sectors of the industry. 

We will be announcing the winners for each category at Arival 360 | Washington, DC, during a special event on Wednesday, 1 October, 2025. 

Congratulations to all the finalists!

Arival Spotlight Awards: Finalists

The third annual Arival Spotlight Awards includes six categories, which honor tour operators, activity providers and experience creators—and the companies that support them—who reflect the growing innovation, creativity, diversity, specialization and technology within the in-destination experiences industry. 

Learn more about the awards here and see the complete list of judges here.

Tour Innovator Award Finalists

This category honors tour operators that demonstrate innovative approaches, offer creative itineraries, or have designed unique travel experiences that set them apart from traditional offerings.

Attraction Innovator Award Finalists

This category honors attraction operators who demonstrate innovative approaches, creative design, or unique experience offerings that set them apart from traditional offerings.

Tech Trailblazer Award Finalists

This category recognizes tour operators who have demonstrated exceptional innovation and integration of technology within their operations to enhance the traveler experience, streamline processes, and introduce cutting-edge solutions to the travel industry.

Social Purpose / Community Engagement Award & Inclusive Operator Award

The Social Purpose and Community Engagement category honors tour operators who actively engage with their local communities by supporting local economies, empowering residents and promoting cultural exchange.

The Inclusive Operator category acknowledges tour operators who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to inclusivity and accessibility by going above and beyond to ensure that their travel experiences are accessible and welcoming to travelers of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and needs.

There will be a winner in each of the two categories. 

Industry Innovation Award

This category recognizes operators, tech companies, or startups that have developed an innovative technology or tool that is integral to the advancement of the in-destination experiences industry. 

The Arival TourReview Awards at Arival 360 | Washington, DC  / National Harbor

All finalists have been announced and contacted by Arival—and we’ll be unveiling the winners at the upcoming Arival 360 | Washington, DC / National Harbor event during the Arival Spotlight Awards special session, on Wednesday, 1 October, 2025. We hope to see you there to celebrate our industry together!

Update on the Arival TourReview Spotlight Awards

The 2025 North American Arival TourReview Spotlight Awards, honoring the 150 top-reviewed operators across Canada, Mexico and the United States, will be announced later in October. This means we’ll be celebrating the winners after DC. Stay tuned — you won’t want to miss the full reveal!

Arival 360 | Washington, DC / National Harbor 2025

30 September – 3 October 2025

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Tags: tourism tech, Featured, travel tech, experience operators, tour operator awards, Arival Spotlight Awards, Awards, activity operator awards, travel awards, tour company awards, tourism awards, attraction awards, travel tech awards, travel experience awards, destination experiences, Arival 360 | Washington DC
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