Arival, a global leader in the tours and activities industry, launched an innovative new recognition program, The Arival and TourReview Spotlight Awards.  The launch comes ahead of the Arival 360 event in Orlando on October 9-12, which will see hundreds of leaders from the industry gather to address the emerging trends shaping the experiences sector.

There are two different types of awards under the program.  First, the Arival TourReview Spotlight Awards, presented in partnership with TourReview, which will be based on data aggregated from multiple major review sites, OTAs and millions of customer reviews across the industry.  Second, the Arival Spotlight Awards, which will be based on nominations evaluated by an impartial panel of expert judges.  The former will be the first-of-its-kind for the industry, with results based entirely on market data.

Douglas Quinby, CEO of Arival, said: “As the global research authority for tours, activities, and attractions, we see every day how businesses large and small are moving the in-destination experiences industry forward.  They are taking risks, innovating with products, breaking down industry barriers, and promoting eye-opening, life-changing cross-cultural exchanges.  It’s clearly a pivotal time for the role of experiences in travel – this is why we believe it’s important to recognize and reward those going above and beyond, and driving the change we’re seeing.”

Data-driven awards – a first-of-its-kind recognition program
The Arival TourReview Spotlight Awards is an initiative in partnership with TourReview, a global review management platform.  By aggregating TourReview’s customer data across dozens of sites and millions of customer reviews, Arival will be able to identify and recognize operators who are consistently wowing customers.  The Arival Tour Review Spotlight Awards are totally impartial, independent, and solely data-driven – a first-of-its-kind awarding method for the experiences industry.

Jose Arozarena, founder of TourReview, added: “It’s exciting that we’re able to use our data-driven technology to recognize companies that are consistently receiving top reviews from travelers through our new Spotlight Awards. Our deep understanding of tourist satisfaction drove us to develop TourReview, a software that consolidates millions of reviews from various platforms into one user-friendly panel. Through our platform, every tour operator can access their data, filter it for insights and pinpoint areas for improvement in customer satisfaction.”

The Arival Spotlight Awards will celebrate the best in tours, activities and experiences sector – companies that reflect the growing innovation, creativity, diversity, specialization, and technology within the tour operator industry.  There are five award categories:

• The Tour Innovator Award
• The Tech Trailblazer Award
• The Inclusive Operator Award
• The Social Purpose/ Community Engagement Award
• The Industry Advancement Champion Award

Nominations for the Arival Spotlight Awards are open now, and the deadline for submissions is Friday, September 15, 2023. The Inaugural Arival  & TourReview Spotlight Awards will be presented at Arival 360 in Orlando, during a special Happy Hour event on Tuesday, 10 October, 2023.