This year, the “Influencer of the Year” title winner will be in the public’s hands.

For the first time this year, the public will be allowed to vote for their favorite ‘Tourism Influencer (Content Creator) of the Year’ as part of the Qatar Tourism Awards 2024.

In partnership with UN Tourism, the Qatar Tourism Awards began last year as a way to celebrate organisations and individuals who have strived to put Qatar on the map.

The Tourism ‘Influencer (Content Creator) of the Year’ falls under the Digital Footprint category, and while other award categories have now stopped taking submissions, the public will be able to vote for their favorite travel content creator for the first time ever.

The awards feature seven main categories: Service Excellence, Gastronomic Experiences, Iconic Attractions and Activities, World Class Events, Digital Footprint, Smart and Sustainable Tourism, and Community Leadership.

Visit Qatar has described the award as recognition of “someone who has significantly contributed to promoting Qatar as a world-class destination through social media platforms.”

Those who are eligible include “content creators with a record of creating and posting content about the destination for a minimum of a year,” Qatar Tourism added.

Voting closes on September 9th. Those looking to vote can access the portal through the Visit Qatar website. After registration, each person is alloted 1 vote per entry. Votes can be revoked.

The faces to watch in this category include photographers, influencers and entrepreneurs such as Abdulaziz Ibrahim Al Ajail, Abdulhadi Saleh Salem Alwakean Al-Marri, Abdulla AlGhafri, Abdullah Darabseh, Fatimah Dhai, Khalifa Al Haroon, Noor Ahmad Al Mazroei, Osama Al-Nassan, Saoud Al Kuwari, and the Tourism in Qatar Platform.

The winner will be based on number of votes along with the judges’ scores. The judges panel is consistent of Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al-Thani, Ali bin Towar Al-Kuwari, Eng. Azzam Abdulaziz Al Mannai, Marcel Leijzer, Ramzan Rashid Al Naimi, Prof. Rana Sobh, and Dr. Eng. Abdulla Hassan Al-Mehshadi.

The award ceremony is set to take place at the end of this year.