From Friday September 5 you can start making nominations for the 2009 Globe Travel Awards, presented by Travel Weekly in partnership with Associated Newspapers.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane on Tuesday January 27 2009.
TWgroup publishing director Simon Ferguson said: “This year’s ceremony looks set to be the best yet. Every year we hold the Globe Travel Awards, we like to include some innovations.
“I don’t want to give too much away at this stage but expect to see some interesting changes to the format and some hi-tech additions to the night.”
One major change this time around is that the shortlists for each award have been limited to a maximum of five nominees.
Ferguson said: “Being nominated for a Globe Travel Award has always been a special honour, but this time round we decided to make the shortlist even more exclusive.”
Categories
The Globe Travel Awards comprise 40 trade awards, voted for travel agents, and the Outstanding Achievement and Innovation in Travel awards.
This year will be the second time the trade awards will be presented alongside the consumer awards, as voted for by readers of Associated Newspapers.
Long Haul
Sponsored by Dollar Rent-a-Car
- Best Specialist Operator – Middle East
- Best Specialist Operator – Africa
- Best Specialist Operator – far East, the Pacific, Australia or New Zealand
- Best Specialist Operator – US or Canada or the Caribbean
- Best Overall Operator – Long Haul
Staying
- Best Leisure Hotel Chain
- Best Business Hotel Chain
- Best All-Inclusive Resort
- Best Accommodation-Only Provider
- Best Tourist Board (UK Office)
Flying
Sponsored by Southall Travel
- Best Scheduled Airline to Africa
- Best Scheduled Airline to Europe
- Best Scheduled Airline to the Middle East or Asia
- Best Scheduled Airline to The Pacific, New Zealand or Australia
- Best Scheduled Airline to US/Canada
Getting Away
- Best Rail Operator
- Best Travel Trade Website
- Best Scheduled Consolidator
- Best Seat-Only Operator
- Best Charter Airline
Getting Around
Sponsored by P&O Ferries
- Best Regional UK Airport
- Best Car Rental Company
- Best Insurance Provider
- Best Theme Park
- Best Coach Operator
Short Haul
Sponsored by Journeys Travel Insurance
- Best Operator – Western Mediterranean
- Best Operator – Eastern Mediterranean
- Best Operator – Short Breaks
- Best Operator – UK Holidays
- Best Operator – Ski/Activity
On the Water
Sponsored by the Travel Trust Association
- Best Cruise Company – Three-star plus
- Best Cruise Company – Four-star plus
- Best Cruise Company – Luxury
- Best Specialist Cruise Company
- Best Ferry Company
Serving the Industry
- Best Recruitment Consultancy
- Best Technology Provider
- Best Add-ons Provider
- Best Dynamic Packaging Operator
- Best TWacademy online training course
Outstanding Achievement award
Each year one of the industry’s leading lights is recognised for their outstanding contribution.
The winner, as voted for by key members of the TWgroup, can come from any sector of the travel industry – the only criterion is that they have made a major difference to the industry.
Last year’s winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award was Sue Biggs, the former Kuoni UK country head who was appointed Thomas Cook’s managing director of scheduled businesses last year.
Innovation in Travel award
The Innovation in Travel Award is designed to recognise an operator who has done something to make the industry a better place.
TripAdvisor won last year’s Innovation Globe. The judges pointed to the success of the four different applications the travel information website had added on Facebook, including a map application that enables users to plot where they have travelled to.