The 83rd Venice International Film Festival was defined by surprises. While this year’s line-up lacked major Hollywood studio fare, the jury – led by American actress-director Maggie Gyllenhaal and including veteran Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To Kei-fung – still had plenty to chew over. Labour issues emerged as a prominent theme, while the festival looked controversially to the future with the selection of Be Brave, a documentary about Diesel founder Renzo Rosso that was partly completed using...

There are few places in the United Arab Emirates where the landscape still seems to belong to the birds, the fishermen and the tides. In Umm Al Quwain, the pace changes almost immediately. The towers recede, the roads become quieter and the coastline opens into a world of lagoons, mangroves and islands, where the Gulf seems less like a backdrop and more like the reason for being here. It is precisely this sense of escape that makes Umm Al Quwain increasingly intriguing — and at the 2026 World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony in Dubai, the emirate received an important vote of confidence when Flamingo Beach Hotel was named Umm Al Quwain’s Leading Hotel 2026.

There is a different rhythm to Fujairah. Beyond the glass towers and manicured avenues of the UAE’s better-known cities, the landscape rises dramatically into the Hajar Mountains, while the Gulf of Oman stretches out towards the horizon. It is a side of the Emirates that feels wilder, more elemental and, increasingly, rather irresistible. At last night’s World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony at One&Only One Za’abeel in Dubai, Fujairah received international recognition for precisely those qualities, collecting five emirate-level awards across its hotels, resorts and travel industry. The ceremony, held on 13 September, brought together the region’s leading tourism and hospitality names, with Fujairah emerging with a particularly compelling collection of victories.

For years, Ajman was the emirate that many travellers passed through rather than travelled to. Smaller, quieter and considerably less showy than Dubai, it occupied a curious place in the UAE’s tourism story: close enough to the country’s major attractions to be convenient, yet sufficiently removed from the international spotlight to retain a character of its own. That perception is changing. At the World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony, held at One&Only One Za’abeel in Dubai on 13 September, Ajman was named Middle East’s Leading Emerging Tourism Destination 2026 — a prestigious regional accolade that places the emirate firmly among the destinations to watch.

From Cold War replicas and a castle with tenuous links to Dracula to a famous balcony created for tourists, some of the world's best-known attractions have a surprising secret.

There is something wonderfully understated about Sharjah. While its neighbours have become synonymous with glittering skylines, vast resorts and record-breaking attractions, Sharjah has cultivated a different kind of allure: one that rewards curiosity, slows the pace and invites travellers to look beyond the obvious. At last night’s World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony in Dubai, that philosophy was rewarded in spectacular fashion, with Sharjah’s heritage hotels and desert landscapes taking centre stage.

At the World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony 2026, held in Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah’s growing prominence was once again reflected in a strong presence across the region’s most important tourism categories. The emirate was nominated for Middle East’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination, Leading Beach Destination, Leading Business Travel Destination, Leading Destination and Leading Meetings & Conference Destination, while the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority was among the contenders for Middle East’s Leading Tourist Board.

At the World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony 2026, held at One&Only One Za’abeel in Dubai, Bahrain’s increasingly sophisticated tourism proposition took centre stage, with the kingdom represented across an impressive range of regional categories and a substantial collection of national hotel, resort and travel awards. There is an appealing intimacy to Bahrain that sets it apart from its larger Gulf neighbours. The kingdom may be small in size, but its story is remarkably rich.

There is something refreshingly understated about Kuwait. While its Gulf neighbours have spent the past two decades constructing ever more extravagant skylines, island resorts and headline-grabbing attractions, Kuwait has followed a rather different path. Its appeal is more nuanced: a cosmopolitan capital with a strong sense of identity, a long-established culture of hospitality, a sophisticated dining scene, an impressive collection of luxury hotels and a coastline that remains one of the country’s quieter pleasures. At the World Travel Awards Middle East Gala Ceremony 2026, held at One&Only One Za’abeel in Dubai, that understated confidence was rewarded with an impressive haul of honours. Kuwait collected 11 national awards, providing a snapshot of a hospitality industry that combines established names with an increasingly polished contemporary offering.

From adrenaline-charged family thrill zones to cutting-edge virtual fairways, Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort unveils next-gen Mediterranean luxury The post The Timeless Allure of Cap St Georges appeared first on Business Traveller.