Star Alliance has once again been recognised as the World’s Leading Airline Alliance at the World Travel Awards 2025, continuing its six-year winning streak. This year’s recognition reflects the Alliance’s continued focus on shaping a more seamless experience across the customer journey — from booking and airport to connections and loyalty. The honour was announced at the Grand Final Gala Ceremony, held in Bahrain.

Commenting on the achievement, Star Alliance CEO Theo Panagiotoulias said, “We are truly honoured to be named the World’s Leading Airline Alliance once again, especially knowing it reflects the trust of travellers and industry peers. Our focus has always been on making customer journeys feel effortless, and our lounges bring the experience to life. This recognition belongs to the teams across member airlines and the Alliance headquarters who make that possible every day, and we’re deeply grateful to our customers for their continued support.“

Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, celebrated the winners of The Extraordinary Challenge during a special ceremony held at the Etihad Guest Terrace during the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix over the weekend. Recognising and rewarding 10 extraordinary guests as the first to fly to complete the challenge and announcing the top three winners to become Miles-millionaires.

Launched in May of this year, The Extraordinary Challenge dared Etihad Guest members to visit 15 of the year-round new destinations the airline had announced at the time. Since the launch of the competition Etihad continues its strategic and rapid expansion having announced 31 new route launches to date, including Palma de Mallorca, Salalah and Krakow to begin operating from next year.

A new chapter is unfolding on the Thames as the official Tower of London River Tour is unveiled, introducing a voyage through London’s past aboard the UK’s first electric tour boat.

Operated by Woods Tours and in official partnership with Historic Royal Palaces, the Tower of London River Tour is set aboard the purpose-built Silver Raven, a state-of-the-art electric vessel designed to glide cleanly and quietly along the Thames, offering panoramic views as London’s stories unfold.

The Algarve has been voted World’s Leading Beach Destination 2025 at the World Travel Awards, securing the title for the fourth time and setting an unprecedented record. With this victory, the region becomes the only beach destination in the world to be distinguished in four editions (2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025), surpassing iconic destinations such as the Maldives and the Turks and Caicos Islands, both with three titles.

The distinction was announced at the World Travel Awards 2025 ceremony held on the 6th December 2025 in Bahrain.