Outdoors Great Southern to shine international spotlight on Albany at 2026 for World Trails Conference

The eyes of the international trails community will look towards Albany in 2026 when Outdoors Great Southern hosts the World Trails Conference. The Albany-based not-for-profit organisation was officially awarded the rights to host the 2026 conference by The World Trails Network last week. The conference is hosted every two years and will bring international attention to the Great Southern’s ever-evolving network of trails that can be hiked, cycled and swam. OGS chief executive Simon Webb said the organisation was delighted to be awarded the opportunity to put the focus on the region’s trails as they were still relatively unknown on the world stage. “The World Trails Conference 2026 is a terrific opportunity for the entire Great Southern Region and for Outdoors Great Southern,” he said. “We are thrilled to be hosting the event.” The WTN outlines his mission for the conference as to “create a global forum where trails from every region can come together and engage in relevant dialogue, networking and cross-learning for the benefit of trails everywhere”. The conference has been hosted around the world since it was first held in 2010 and will take place in Ottawa, Canada in 2024. It aims to be globally relevant and engaged, interactive and dynamic, collaborative and focused, creative and generative, and inclusive and cross-reaching. The announcement was welcomed by a number of the region’s local governments on social media as well as a variety of tourism groups and WA trails groups.