30 Years, Hundreds of Senior Figures, One Big Surprise: This Is What the Passport Awards 2026 Gala Looked Like

Festive evening for the tourism, aviation, business and hotel industries: Hundreds of senior figures from the industry and the business sector gathered last night at the Carlton Hotel in Tel Aviv for the Passport Group's annual gala event, Passport Awards 2026, which took place this year to mark the group's 30th anniversary.

Among the guests were Tourism Minister Haim Katz, Director General of the Ministry of Tourism Michael Itzhakov, Director General of the Ministry of Transportation Moshe Ben Zaken, Deputy Minister of Tourism in Bulgaria Dr. Mariela Modeva, Bulgarian Ambassador to Israel Slavena Gergova, Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Nguyen Ky Son, Director of the Polish Tourist Organization Dorota Zadrożna, as well as CEOs of airlines, including Uri Sirkis of IsraAir, Oz Berlowitz of Arkia, Gonen Usishkin of Air Haifa and Gal Gershon of Sun Dor, alongside Rami Levy, one of the controlling shareholders of IsraAir, leading businessmen and other senior executives from airlines, hotels, tourism and media.

The event was held at a particularly significant time for the Israeli tourism industry, after years of upheaval and crises that dramatically affected the industry's activity. At the same time, precisely at a time when foreign and Israeli airlines are re-expanding their operations, the event also felt the renewed optimism in the industry.

30 Years of Passport

Chairman and owner of Passport Group, Adi Azoulay, referred in his speech to the path the group has taken since its establishment 30 years ago, and its expansion from a media house focused on tourism and aviation to a media group that today connects industries, audiences, and Israel to the world.

Azoulay said that his greatest pride is in the people at Passport who turned the vision into reality, and emphasized that even after 30 years, the group is not stopping: "We have come a long way, but we do not stop, we do not rest, and we do not stop dreaming."

Passport Group CEO Efrat Doron also spoke during the evening and addressed Passport Group's leap forward and the group's expansion moves. She presented Passport's development from a veteran communications brand to a multi-platform media group, combining digital, magazine, television, content and outdoor campaigns, and emphasized that the 30th year marks not only a milestone, but the beginning of the next stage in the group's development.

Industry Leaders on Stage

During the evening, Tourism Minister Haim Katz took the stage, spoke to industry executives, addressed the importance of the tourism industry and its place in the complex period Israel is going through, and congratulated the Passport Group on 30 years of activity.

Alongside him was the Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, Michael Yitzhakov, who attended the event and, during the evening, gave a speech and presented a special statement published for the first time as part of the event.

Senior executives from the companies that were partners in the event also took the stage. Sun Dor CEO Gal Gershon presented the company's activities, which have grown significantly and currently operate flights to 26 destinations.

Talma Group CEO, Iya Magen, referred to the group's continued international growth, which this year entered the ranking of the 20 largest tourism companies in the world in its field.

Awards for Industry Professionals

One of the highlights of the evening was the Passport Group's award ceremony for industry figures who stood out during the year.

Yossi Fatael, CEO of the Israel Incoming Tour Operators Association, received a special shield of appreciation upon completion of almost 12 years in office. During this period, he led the bureau through years of a global pandemic, security crises, and significant challenges facing the government and government ministries.

Tali Noy, VP of Marketing and Strategy at Issta, received a shield of recognition for innovation and excellence in digital, following the digital initiatives she led, including Bookit and the digital agent Daniel.

Itai Green received a special recognition shield for his work in favor of the tourism industry, following his activity in the field of innovation, artificial intelligence and organizational transformation, as well as for his collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism in launching the Travel Innovation Community.

A certificate of appreciation for a special contribution to the community was awarded to Uri Obrotzky, for his activities within the framework of the "Clouds - Aviation for the Community" association and for initiatives to connect the world of aviation to people with disabilities and war wounded.

A special honor was also awarded to Aryeh Granot, one of the industry's veterans in Israel, who began his career in tourism in 1979 and continues to be active in the industry today.

 

For the First time: Passport Travel Awards

This year, the Passport Group held the Passport Travel Awards for the first time, a blogger competition in which 35 creators participated, competing in six categories.

And these are the winners:

Foodies: Nadav Bornstein
Solo: Ohad
Navon Lifestyle: Itay Erlich
Relationships: Hen Amar
Families: Gal ZUta
Couples: Bar and Shany

Some of the winners took the stage to receive their awards, as, as expected, some of them travel the world. This was one of the colorful and youthful moments of the evening.

And then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.

But the highlight came towards the end of the evening with the announcement of the Passport Group's Man of the Year.

This year, the title went to Eli Cohen, President of the Israel Hotel Association, for his work during one of the most complex periods the hotel industry in Israel has ever known.

Over the past few years, Cohen has worked with the government to promote the hotel industry, to receive grants and relief, to deal with economic moves that affected hoteliers, and to promote plans to increase the supply of hotel rooms in Israel.

But the announcement itself took on a special twist this year: Adi Azoulay, Efrat Doron and Moshe Nur, an entrepreneur and pioneer in the printing and outdoor advertising industry in Israel and around the world, founder and owner of the Nur Group, took the stage together, and the announcement of the Person of the Year did not remain just inside the event hall.

At the moment of the announcement, Eli Cohen's name also appeared on the Passport Group's billboard campaign, so the moment the Person of the Year was announced also became an outdoor campaign throughout the city.

One Evening, One Industry

Alongside the official ceremony, the event also became a meeting of senior Israeli and international industry figures.

Other senior figures from the tourism industry and the economy also attended the event, including Tali Noy, Yoni Waxman, Boaz Waxman, Nir Mazor, Oren Maguri, Reuven Alex, Sharon Alon, Yacov Amsalem and others.

Thus, Passport Group's People of the Year evening summed up a complex year for the industry, but also marked the return to traffic with airlines expanding operations, a tourism industry that continues to adapt and innovate, and an entire industry looking forward.

And after 30 years, Passport's message is clear: the story of Israeli tourism continues to move, and so does Passport.