AJMAN, UAE, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Department of Tourism, Culture and Media in Ajman has added four prestigious awards to its international record at the Stevie® Awards for the Middle East and North Africa 2026, in a clear embodiment of its journey towards achieving Ajman Vision 2030 “Ajman for the People,” which places people at the heart of every initiative and development. This marks the seventh edition of one of the world’s most distinguished programmes recognising institutional innovation, which attracted more than 1,400 nominations from organisations representing 18 countries, evaluated by over 150 international experts across eight specialised judging panels.
The four awards were distributed across two categories. The Department won a Silver Award in the category of “Innovative Achievement in Community Engagement or Community Relations” for its Community-Based Event Design initiative — an integrated digital platform that enables community members and visitors to actively participate in proposing and designing tourism events, generating smart reports and indicators that empower decision-makers to launch events that resonate with people’s interests and strengthen Ajman’s tourism identity.
The three Bronze Awards completed the picture of an integrated innovation ecosystem operating across multiple pillars. The Department received the “Award for Innovation in Government Services” for its Ajman Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Destination initiative, which developed a digital platform enabling People of Determination and visitors with special needs to explore hotels, restaurants, transportation and events with ease through interactive maps and customised services. The Department also won the “Award for Excellence in Innovation in Artificial Intelligence — Government” for its Foresight of the Future of Tourism Using Artificial Intelligence project, an advanced interactive platform that leverages AI technologies to transform creative ideas into actionable tourism projects and inform the tourism development strategy with precise data-driven insights. The Department further won the “Award for Innovation in Building Communities through Social Media” for its “Emirati Authenticity” promotional campaign, which transformed the authentic Emirati cultural identity into compelling digital content reaching a wide global audience.
His Excellency Mahmood Khaleel Al Hashmi, Director General of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Media in Ajman, expressed his pride in this international recognition, affirming that the four awards reflect a systematic journey of work built on purposeful innovation and effective community partnership.
He stated: “These awards confirm that the path we have chosen in developing the tourism sector — built on inclusivity, the deployment of technology and the promotion of identity — is receiving international recognition that reflects the depth of the efforts made by the Department’s team. They strengthen our resolve to continue building and developing qualitative initiatives that elevate the visitor experience and enhance Ajman’s standing as an innovative and distinguished tourism destination.”
These awards come as an extension of the Department’s continuous journey of digital innovation, having previously showcased its smart initiatives at GITEX Global, including the AI-powered “Plan Your Trip” platform that enables visitors to fully customise their tourism itineraries, alongside the “Tourism Innovator Award” launched by the Department to inspire youth to develop creative solutions that contribute to shaping the future of the sector — all within the framework of the Department’s commitment to building an innovative and sustainable tourism sector that cements Ajman’s standing as a leading destination on the regional and international tourism map.
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