The travel trade’s favourite suppliers are being honoured at the 2025 Globe Travel Awards. Find live reaction as winners are announced
Best Trade Friendly Brand: Jet2holidays
Trade sales general manager Lloyd Cross said: “We never take this for granted. We love winning these awards because it shows that the partnerships with agents really matter.
“We love to listen to agents, we love to innovate and give travel agents the best experience possible.”
Best Specialist Cruise Company: Hurtigruten
Vice-president of sales and marketing EMEA Iain Powell, said: “We’re working with more agents than we ever have before. We have expanded the team, we’ve launched new training in Hurtigruten Rewards. There are lots of things we’ve done to show travel agents how important they are to us.
“We’ve announced four fam trips already – two more than last year – and we’ve got 500 agent members on the programme. This year will be all about using Hurtigruten Rewards to reward agents for the bookings they make.”
Best Long-Haul Tour Operator and Best Flight-only Provider: Gold Medal
“This is absolutely at the heart of what we do so it’s the award that’s closest to our hearts. It means a lot.
“We were hoping to win this award but never expecting it. It’s fantastic validation for what we do. We’re going to carry on putting the trade at the heart of what we do.
“Service comes first, not awards.”
Best River Cruise Company: Riviera Travel
Head of trade and partnerships for the UK and Ireland Vicky Billing said: “We’re absolutely delighted; this is the ultimate recognition. Our team are amazing and this is the perfect way to recognise the work they do.
“Everything we do is for the trade, they are our lifeblood and we never take them for granted. We’re so grateful for this and we’re going to celebrate in style.”
Best Premium Cruise Company: Celebrity Cruises
Senior director for EMEA sales Claire Stirrup said: “We’re absolutely elated. I’d like to say a massive thank you to all our trade partners as we couldn’t do what we do without them. We’re accepting this on behalf of our whole UK and Ireland team.
“All I can say is it’s going to be a very early morning for us; and we’re going to party hard with the rest of the team back at the office. It’s going to be a big year for Celebrity and this is the perfect way to kick it off.”
Best Accommodation-Only Provider: Bedsonline
Regional sales manager for the UK and Ireland Emma Foran (pictured left), said: “We would like to thank all agents for voting for us for another year. This means so much to the team.
“We strive to support our trade partners with high service and product. Last year we launched a brand-new website enabling our agent partners to dynamically package efficiently in order to grow their business. The team work incredibly hard and this award is a fantastic success for the company.”
Best UK Airport: Heathrow
Customer and communities manager Daniel Furniss (pictured with Catherine Smith), said: “It’s a great honour to win again. We want to thank all our colleagues who have helped make this happen.
“In the past year, we’ve invested a lot in our new security systems, and service is at the heart of everything we do.
“We support all our airlines to grow and we look forward to an exciting 2025.”
Best Add-Ons Provider and Best Insurance Provider: Holiday Extras
National regional manager UK Europe Lindsay Garvey-Jones and Partnerships Development Manager Erin Hulme said: ‘We could never do what we do without the travel agents, they’re at our heart and we are here solely because of them. The thing that makes us stand out is how approachable and personable we are.
“People know us and they trust us. We never take anything for granted and we cannot thank everyone enough’.
Best Technology Provider: Amadeus
Associate director, commercial, UK Ireland and Poland Steven Love said: “We’re over the moon to win! The category is serving the industry, which is what we pride ourselves on.
“We do everything everyday for our customers and strive every day to be better. Thank you to everyone for voting for us, we’re honoured to win this award”
Best UK Holidays Operator: Hoseasons
General manager Gemma Brown said: “This feels absolutely unbelievable. Last year we celebrated our eighth year and our relationship with travel agents has cemented our success.
“We can’t thank our travel agents and our partners who are constantly innovating to make sure our guests have the best holidays”
Best Short-Haul Operator: Jet2holidays
General manager Lloyd Cross said: “We’re always super excited to win awards and this just shows how in partnership we work with travel agents.
“We put them at the heart of everything we do. They’re the priority for us.
Best Operator for Activities: Inghams
Head of agency sales Julie Franklin said: “We never take this award as a given.
“It means so much because trade are so important to us, and I think this just cements the relationship.”
Best Expedition Cruise Company: HX – Hurtigruten Expeditions
Managing director and vice-president of commercial sales Nathaniel Sherborne said: “It is an unbelievable result from an incredible amount of hard work from the team over the last year. We were very disappointed to not win last year but we have put an amazing amount of focus on our trade business.
“Our trade business is up 70% this year and that is testament to to the hard work and dedication of my team and the engagement of the trade who have really embraced the fastest growing sector in the cruise industry.”
Best Mainstream Cruise Company: Royal Caribbean International
EMEA vice-president Gerard Nolan said: “I have just come on to the brand six months ago and the team are absolutely incredible.
“They live and breathe their agent partners. They are relentless and such a passionate team. We are delighted!”
Best Luxury Cruise Company: Silversea Cruises
UK & Ireland managing director Peter Shanks said: “I am humbled because with all the growth in the last 12 months we have had to work hard to give travel agents the service they deserve.
“For them to still vote us best in class means the world to us. It’s also recognition of the officers and crew because these are the guys that deliver the magic.”
Best Adventure Operator: G Adventures
National sales manager Stu Darnley said: “We never take things like this for granted. It means the world to us. I think our product really resonates with agents and they can feel the purpose behind it.
“This coming year is going to be our biggest year for fams and we’ve got lots of other exciting things planned. It’s going to be a big year for us.”
Best Rail Company: Rocky Mountaineer
Chief executive Tristan Armstrong said: “With so much great competition, it feels fantastic to win. We are so blessed to be able to do what we do on a daily basis, to welcome the world to Canada, and we look forward to doing it for many more years.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about our guest service and every year, we try to raise the bar on what we provide to our guests. We work with great trade partners who are very collaborative. We feel so blessed to win.”
Best Mainstream Touring Company Newmarket Holidays
Chief commercial officer David Sharman said: “Winning this award four times in a row is pretty amazing.
“We don’t ever take it for granted and want to thank all the agents for their support – you’ve been a big part of our journey.”
Best Premium Touring Company: Wendy Wu Tours
Head of trade sales Gary King said: “We have added so much product over the last 12 months with Christmas tours, rail and cruise and tour. We have broadened our horizons.
“We’re working with so many agents across the industry. That’s why we’ve got so many votes this year and we’re so grateful, this means the world to us. We’re giving a fam trip place to Japan every week this January!”
Best Car Rental Company: Flexible Autos
UK MD Jamie Manser said: “We really appreciate our agency partners and everything they do for us. We want to support the trade in every way that we can: we’re introducing new products, suppliers and lots of innovative ideas.
“We’re always looking out for them so thank you.”
Best All-Inclusive Resort Operator: Ikos Resorts
Regional Director of Sales & Marketing Lee Barker said: “It’s fantastic to win and we can’t quite believe it. I think It’s four years in a row we’ve won this award and we cannot thank the trade enough for their support!
You’re only as good as your last year so we want to thank all the individual resorts, staff and everyone who has helped make this happen. It’s also Ikos Resorts’ 10th birthday this year so this is extra special to us.”
Best Hotel Chain: Constantinou Bros
General Manager Aristos Diomedous said: “We smashed it again. Thanks to the agents and the team in the UK.
We’ll be celebrating with them tonight and with the team back in Cyprus”
Best Attraction Universal Orlando Resort
Universal Destinations & Experiences Senior business development manager Grant Daly said: “Thank you so much to all the trade for their fantastic support.
We’re in for an amazing year with the opening of our brand new theme park, Epic Universe, and we couldn’t have done it without the trade.”
Best Tourist Board: Visit Florida
Senior account director, Gill Standeven said: “It’s so fantastic to win, the fact it’s voted for by our peers, I’m over the moon.
“We’ve been making a concerted effort to re engage the trade and this just shows that we’re doing the right thing”
Outstanding Achievement: Peter Shanks, Silversea
Shanks said: “All the way through I was lucky to have the opportunity to work with brilliant people.
“This [award] is really for all the people who have supported me and I’ve had the pleasure of working with over many years… it means an awful lot to me.”
Unsung Hero: Tui PRM and accessibility manager Marina Snellenberg
Snellenberg said: “This award is very unexpected but it makes me so proud of what I have done and really proud of Tui, for taking me on board with a project and transporting that into what is it today – a solid, accessible holidays strategy that delivers results so customers can access travel.
“I can’t imagine doing any other job; this is my vocation, my passion.”
Employer of the Year: easyJet holidays
Finance director Michelle Heywood said: “It’s amazing to win this. I’m so proud. This is about everybody in the organisation – everybody has contributed to this.
“We couldn’t ask to be part of a more remarkable team.”
Sustainable Future: G Adventures
Leah Winfield, resourcing and talent planning manager, said: “We’ve had sustainability at the heart of what we do at G Adventures from day one.
“This award means everything.”
Travel for All Award: Ocean Holidays
Co-founder Harry Hastings said: “I am so humbled. I was not expecting this at all, let alone a second time!
“We continued to invest in accessible travel and it is front and centre for us. It is a part of our culture and not a project we pick up and put down.
“We need the trade to be more brave and speak to their clients about their needs and to suppliers about how they can help. It would be great to see the trade switch up the ratio with direct to consumer. That is our mission and we have a lot of work to do!”