The 6th annual Halal in Travel Global Summit (HITGS) 2026 reached a major milestone by expanding its recognition parameters beyond mainstream market analytics and commercial metrics. Driven by a commitment to highlight the human core of destinations, the summit introduced a new category of honors: the HalalTrip People Awards (HTPA) 2026.
Rather than focusing on large destination brands or corporate properties, these awards were specifically designed to celebrate extraordinary individuals whose grassroots actions create deep social justice, support community empowerment, and protect environmental sustainability. The inaugural winners reflect the foundational values of conscious, compassionate, and highly responsible mobility.
Atikah Syarah Ismail (Singapore)
With the mission of bridging structural social work with global humanitarian resilience, Atikah serves as an impactful social worker, spending nearly a decade providing dedicated support to foster children and families in Singapore. With her care, the children’s paths toward secure and sustainable reunification is clearer.
Driven by the raw resilience of marginalized local networks, she took a leave of absence in 2023 to volunteer directly with communities in Palestine and Lebanon. Returning to Singapore, fully inspired by the sheer resilience of the communities she worked with, Atikah continues to provide essential monthly grassroots assistance to families in need, demonstrating how localized professional skills can actively transform global community outreach.
Mohammed Musa / Maung Hla Myint (Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh)
Forced to flee his home in Maungdaw Township, Rakhine State during the 2017 Rohingya crisis, Mohammed has since lived within the refugee camp structures of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Rather than letting displacement silence his community, he founded and serves as the Executive Director of the Rohingya Aid and Empowerment Network (RAEN), emerging as one of the most prominent, globally respected youth voices advocating for Rohingya human rights and for displaced communities.
His tireless work successfully funnels international awareness directly into structural support layers on the ground, ensuring his community's ongoing fight is met with global justice and uncompromised dignity.
Mohammed Al-Abood (Aseer, Saudi Arabia)
Nominated by regional authorities, Mohammed turned his ancestral highland terrain into the A’anab Tourist Farm, transforming it into the premier rural tourism and ecological destination north of Abha. His meticulous on-ground stewardship has successfully protected 200-year-old heritage trees and introduced over 3,000 plant species through an aggressive regional afforestation drive.
Furthermore, he has built structured community workshops to actively train the next generation in traditional soil cultivation and water stewardship, ensuring ancient agricultural terraces and nature preservation remain alive and productive for years to come.
The Human Canvas of Sustainable Growth
The launch of the HalalTrip People Awards 2026 proves that the future of travel cannot be decoupled from ethical citizenship and local impact. By honoring Atikah, Mohammed Musa, and Mohammed Al-Abood, CrescentRating and HalalTrip have established a definitive benchmark: true destination readiness begins by lifting the very communities that call these spaces home. These stories challenge global tourism operators to anchor their multi-year strategies in the perspectives of community leaders on the ground, driving genuine sustainability, localized heritage defense, and social compassion.
Watch their stories and the awarding of their hard work here.
