Agent Achievement Awards Outstanding Contribution winners revealed

Two leaders of the UK travel trade received the Outstanding Contribution to the Industry award at the 2026 Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards on Thursday (July 9).

Henbury Travel owner Richard Slater and Barrhead Travel managing director Nicki Tempest-Mitchell were honoured for their achievements at the event, held in central London in association with Celebrity Cruises and Virgin Atlantic.

The Outstanding Contribution to the Industry Awards were sponsored by Holland America Line and presented by the company’s Laura Gray.

Tempest-Mitchell said: “I feel so honoured to receive this, but shocked at the same time.

“I always look at the recipients of these awards and I’m always so proud of what they’ve achieved, but I never thought for one minute I would achieve that myself. I’m blown away.”

She added: “I’ve surrounded myself with the most incredible people over the years and I couldn’t have won this without them.”

On winning the Outstanding Contribution Award, Henbury Travel founder and managing director Slater recalled his school days and setting up Henbury Travel in 2011 as a homeworker before opening a shop in 2018.

He said: “I wasn’t particularly academic at school and I used to get bullied a lot so to win this award feels amazing. I was determined my business would not fail.”

Slater decided to work in the travel industry after his parents split up and his mum took him on a cruise holiday. 

“I was going to work in the bank but I really enjoyed the cruise and when I came back my mum saw an advert for a travel and tourism course and I did that instead!” 

Slater, who has been northwest regional chair for Abta since 2019, added that winning the award validated his work to speak up for travel agent issues nationally via hundreds of TV and radio interviews.

“People are shy and don’t like to rock the boat, but you have to rock the boat,” he said.

Full list of Agent Achievement Awards 2026 winners