Rio All Year Round • October 20, 2026
Rio conquers titles of best beach destination and sports tourism in South America
By Adriano Dias
Published on Updated on
1 min read
The city of Rio won two awards at the World Travel Awards 2026, considered one of the important international tourist industry. The Wonderful City was elected by the "Oscar of Tourism" the Best Beach Destination and the Best Sports Tourism Destination of South America, as a result announced..
The city of Rio won two awards at the World Travel Awards 2026, considered one of the important international tourist industry. The Wonderful City was elected by the "Oscar of Tourism" o Best Beach Destination and Best Sports Tourism Destination South America, as a result announced on October 12, during ceremony held in Jamaica.
In the beach category, the carioca destination received recognition for the second consecutive year. The sports tourism trophy returned to the city after two editions without victory in 2024 and 2025. At the hotel, the Copacabana Palace also stood out when he was elected best hotel.
The achievements broaden Rio's recognition history at the event. Two years ago, the municipality won in the categories of Best Urban Destination for a Short Trip and Best Cultural Destination in South America.
In the sports segment, the carioca trajectory includes nine consecutive victories in the South American competition, between 2015 and 2023. After two years without winning the prize, Rio returned to first place in 2026.
The city has also received the title of South America's main destination in different editions of the World Travel Awards, including 2010, 2011 and 2012.
About the award
Created in 1993, the World Travel Awards recognizes destinations, companies and professionals from different segments of world tourism. Winners are defined by online voting, involving industry experts and consumers. According to the organization, the votes of verified professionals have greater weight, and the calculation goes through internal audit. The initiative has regional and global stages and brings together representatives of the tourist industry in ceremonies held in different international destinations.
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