OMAHA — Nearly 14,000 votes cast in this year’s Omaha Metropolitan Area Tourism Awards contest led to a slate of standouts in four categories.
The awards, announced Monday, recognize tourism attractions that made a difference in the lives of area residents and visitors. The awards are presented by Visit Omaha and Unleash Council Bluffs.
Winners will be featured on social media and billboards through May 17, coinciding with National Travel & Tourism Week. Nearly 900 nominations were originally submitted, according to a Visit Omaha media statement.
The 2026 winners and runners-up, respectively, are:
Best attraction: Joslyn Art Museum, winner; Great Plains Black Museum, runner-up
Best hotel: Kimpton Cottonwood; Omaha Marriott Regency
Best restaurant: Big Mama’s Kitchen; Kinaara
Best retail business: City Limits; Ashley’s in the Old Market
Pottawattamie County
Best attraction: Arrowhead Park; Dreamland Theater
Best hotel: Judge Richard Distillery Airbnb; Courtyard by Marriott Council Bluffs
Best restaurant: The Back Forty Bar & Grill; 712 Eat + Drink
Best retail business: Central Perch; Dusted Charm
National Travel & Tourism Week, May 3-9, honors the role and economic impact the travel industry has on the nation. Visit Nebraska, the state’s official tourism commission, said that tourism in 2025 was again one of Nebraska’s most important economic drivers.
A Visit Nebraska news release Monday said tourism last year across the state accounted for $4.6 billion in visitor spending, supported more than 41,000 jobs statewide and generated more than $320 million in state and local tax revenue.
“Travel is a powerful driver for Nebraska communities,” said the commission’s executive director Jenn Gjerde. “It supports local jobs, fuels small businesses and brings new energy into towns across the state.”
She said the impact is boosted by promotion of the state as a travel destination. She said tourism week offers an opportunity to recognize people and places “who make Nebraska a destination worth exploring.”
