More: Globe Travel Awards 2023: Winners revealed
Globe Travel Awards 2023: Special awards winners revealed
Globe Travel Awards 2023: Gallery from the night
Best Short-Haul Operator, Best Trade Sales Team and Best Trade-Friendly Brand: Jet2holidays
Alan Cross, head of trade, said: “Winning four awards is fantastic. It’s been a great start to the year and these accolades are great recognition from the trade. We really appreciate all the support we have from independent agents.
“We especially appreciate winning the trade sales and trade-friendly awards as these epitomise what we have been working at with our Partners2Success programme. We’ve never given up on our focus to drive sales through our travel agent partners.
“We do a massive amount of trade support through the year and we feel this has been reciprocated by the agent votes tonight.”
Lloyd Cross, general manager, added: “We’ll never become complacent and we want to continue to be the trade’s number-one mainstream tour operator choice.”
Best Accommodation-Only Provider: Stuba
Angela Muir, head of sales for UK & Ireland, said: “I am absolutely gobsmacked, I totally didn’t expect to win. This is the first time we have won a Globe Award and it feels amazing.
“We worked so hard during the pandemic to support our agents and ensure we had someone on hand everyday for them to speak to if they needed us so to have them vote for us feels so lovely.
“We are so grateful to every single one of them.”
Best UK Airport: Heathrow
Janki Valand, services manager, said: “We did not expect to win. We knew we were nominated so obviously there was a chance, but we were up against some amazing airports so we weren’t expecting it.
Lizzie Beale, border force relationship manager, said: “It makes us very proud to win. We have worked hard bringing so many families back together after the pandemic so it’s lovely to see all our hard work pay off.”
Best Technology Provider: Amadeus
Clare De Bono, UK country manager, said: “Thank you for everyone who voted for us. We feel incredibly proud and privileged.
We believe technology can change the travel industry.”
Best Long-Haul Specialist Operator: Wendy Wu Tours
Gary King, sales director, said: “We are so excited about this, we were up against very strong competition. It makes the last three years of long slog worth while.”
Glen Mintrim, chief executive, said: “It’s about how innovative the team has been. We have sold out of European tours during Covid. Wendy Wu had demonstrated they can offer Asian service but outside of Asia. It’s fantastic to be recognised for the USPs we offer.
The fact we offer all inclusive at a time when when people are struggling with cost of living makes us so popular. We will always be a specialist.
Best Short-Haul Airline: Jet2.com
Lloyd Cross: trade sales general manager, said: “We are very pleased to have won the award again. All our colleagues will be really proud. They all deliver a great service so it’s lovely to be recognised.
“Delivering great service is the main thing, winning is a bonus.
Best Flight-Only Provider: Jetset
Adrian Smyth, sales director, said: “It’s just amazing to defend our crown.
“It’s a testimony to the team at Jetset. It’s all about friends. That’s what friends are for. It will mean everything for the team. They have worked tirelessly hard for the last three years and to get this sort of adulation and appreciation from agents means the whole world.”
Best UK Holidays Operator: Great Little Breaks
Chris Cundall, director of trade relations, said: “We were lucky enough to have won last year and it meant the world. To win it twice is extraordinary.
“I can’t thank all our agent partners enough for voting for us.”
Best Operator for Activities: Inghams
John Mansell, chief operating officer of Hotelplan, said: “We’re thrilled to have won. This is the award of the year that we really want to win.”
Best Insurance Provider: Holiday Extras
Darren Jennings, head of partnerships for insurance, said: “This is the 14th time that we’ve won this award. 14th consecutive years. It’s all about the agents – they are our lifeblood.
“If it was not for them, we would not be here. We’ll keep innovating, looking at what the issues are and adapting.”
Best Car Rental Company: Flexible Autos
Chantal Tomlinson, sales director, said: “We’re absolutely over the moon. We’d like to thank our agent partners. We’ve always tried to put our agents first.”
Pictured (from left): Andrea Elwell, national sales manager; Chantal Tomlinson, sales director; Sue Dixon, group managing director; and Jamie Manser, group commercial director.
Best Add-Ons Provider: Do Something Different
Annabel Cove, head of trade sales and marketing, said: “We are absolutely elated, this is a very special evening. This is testament to all the work we’ve put in with our trade partners.
We stayed open throughout the dark times of Covid and this is proof that it was the right thing to do. I think this is our third Globe award on the trot so we’re delighted.
We’re going to have a jolly to celebrate and possibly some champers too.”
Best Premium Airline Service: Emirates
Jon Sheppard, head of commercial and national sales UK, said: “We are absolutely delighted. Our thanks go to the trade for supporting us over the past year.
“It feels particularly meaningful to win a Globe award so we’re over the moon. We will share this award with the team and celebrate in style.”
Best Long-Haul Airline: Virgin Atlantic
Nikki Goldsmith, director of agency sales, said: “This feels amazing. Virgin Atlantic has never won a Globe before so this is really fantastic. It’s testament to all the hard work the team has put in with our trade partners.
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to the trade for voting for us, we’re so pleased. We’re going to party in true Virgin Atlantic fashion tonight!”
Best Luxury Operator: If Only
Gordon McCreadie, general manager, said: “We would never take this award for granted. It always comes as surprise, a joy, a pleasure! It is validation of everything we do at If Only.
“We are blown away!” When asked what he put the brand’s success down to, he said: “Our people – the people we work with and the people we work for us.
Thank you to the trade. This validates everything that makes us us at If Only. “We have no business without travel agents so the fact they vote for us vindicates everything we are about as a business.”
Best Long-Haul Operator: Classic Collection
Phil Shipman, strategic account manager, said: “It is honestly the most wonderful accolade. We launched long haul in 2019, just ahead of the pandemic, so to achieve this award is absolutely phenomenal.
“It means the world to us and we are all so surprised and completely delighted. We can’t thank the trade enough for their support of everything we’re doing at Classic Collection. We never saw this coming!”
Best Adventure Operator- G Adventures
Bruce Poon Tip, chief executive, said: “We have won this five years in a row and it means everything to us because agents are a big part of our business.
“We are so grateful to the trade.”
Best Mainstream Touring Company: Newmarket Holidays
Richard Forde, head of trade sales, said: “We are ecstatic to win this for the second year in a row; absolutely delighted to get support from our agent partners in a difficult year.
“It means an awful lot to us. It is such a prestigious award.”
Best Rail Company: Rocky Mountaineer
Violet Thumlert, vice president, global sales, said: “It is a global team effort. We love working with the UK trade and appreciate their support . It is huge for us to win this, a great honour.
“This is the third year in a row we have won – a hat trick!.”
Best Premium Touring Company: Wendy Wu Tours
Lee Holden, head of marketing, said: “It feels incredible to be recognised by the trade. We’re regular winners – 12 times in fact. We respect the trade. We try to do the same for them as we do our customers in sense that we give our trade partners the same experience.
“We’re really looking forward to the Chinese borders opening up to tourists in autumn.”
Best All-Inclusive Resort Operator: Ikos Resorts
Lee Barker, regional director sales & marketing UK, Scandinavia & Americas, said: “We’re delighted. It’s the second year to win this award [which] is fantastic. And I think it just goes to show how much the brand is thought of by the trade.
“We always think that we’re innovative… we want to do something different when it comes to all-inclusive, and this was proof that we have hit that magic formula.
“We’re delighted, but the resorts really love to hear when they win these awards because the UK market is so important to them. And it’s an accolade to them and the staff that they’re delivering on what we want to deliver and that’s delivering excellence for our clients.”
Best Hotel Chain: Iberostar Hotels & Resorts
Aishling McLoughlin, BDM director UK and Ireland, said: “It would have been a while ago that we won our last Globe award. It feels amazing because of what the industry has gone through. It’s been such a tough time.
“This has been voted by our agents. I’m so proud. We’ve grown the BDM team. We’re now three but we were two before the pandemic.
“There’s so much work to go around but it’s nice to have the feet on the ground. We’ve got a lot of plans for this year.”
Best River Cruise Company: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Chris Townson, managing director UK & Europe, said: “We’re thrilled! To win this award when up against nine other strong operators is amazing. This is going to cost us a bit in champagne! We’re so thankful to all the agents who voted for us.”
Angela Sloan, head of sales UK & Europe, added: “We’ve got amazing partnerships with the trade, and our sales and res teams are different level. We’ve sent more agents away in the past year than ever before and we try hard to make working with us easy. All of our collateral is trade-friendly.”
Best Ferry Company: Brittany Ferries
Frederic Dumoulin, group chief commercial officer, said: “We are extremely proud to have won. This is a great achievement for Brittany Ferries for the past year, especially after Covid.
“We have to thank travel agents for supporting us and for realising that ferries are more than just a commodity but a real travel experience.
“I think we won because we have a really strong offer across our markets and we offer flexibility for customers.”
Best Tourist Board: Visit Orlando
Phil White, industry sales director EMEA, said: ‘We’re really, really happy – absolutely delighted to have won, particularly when we were up against such tough competition.
“For us, the UK market is so important. They are our heroes, we recognise the time and effort they put in and we hope we keep them well educated and informed.’
Best Mainstream Cruise Company: Royal Caribbean International
Stuart Byron, sales director, said: ‘It’s amazing, we’re absolutely over the moon to have won. You never take anything for granted, and it’s always the best feeling when your name gets announced.’
Torey Kings-Hodkin, head of sales, said: The fact it’s voted by our trade partners is the most important thing. To see that they’ve recognised the effort we’ve put in is what matters to us.’
Pictured with Benjamin Bouldin, vice-president EMEA
Best Premium Cruise Company: Celebrity Cruises
Jo Rzymowska, EMEA vice-president and managing director, said: “13 years – not lucky for us! Of course it’s really poignant for me personally. It feels amazing. We never take this for granted.
“It’s been a special night.”
UK and Ireland sales director Claire Stirrup says: “We’ll keep on doing what we’re doing [after Rzymowska leaves]. We won this because of what we do shipside and shoreside.”
Best Attraction: Universal Orlando Resort
Paul Kelly, sales director, said: “Everything we do at Universal Parks & Resorts is targeted towards the trade so this means everything to us. It’s amazing.”
Best Specialist Cruise Company: Hurtigruten
Anthony Daniels, general manager, said: “I’m incredibly proud. We’ve won this now a couple of times and always we feel the value because it’s voted by the trade.”
Best Luxury Cruise Company: Silversea Cruises
Connie Georgiou, head of trade sales and partnerships, said: “It’s incredible [to win] because our main focus is working with the trade and travel agents, and they’re the people that voted for us and I cannot tell you [what that means]. I’m very emotional – it’s just amazing.
“My team work so hard and the product is amazing but the travel agents voted and that means so much to me – especially because I once was a travel agent too.”
Sustainable Future Award: easyJet holidays
Matt Callaghan, director of customer and operations, said: “We are so proud because we’re just over a year into our journey to become more sustainable, having launched our sustainability strategy in 2021. But this is a real impetus for us and real encouragement for all of the team who are so passionate about it to really just keep going.”
Pictured with Rosie Bishop
Outstanding Achievement Award: Clia UK and Ireland MD Andy Harmer OBE
“This means the absolute world to me. The people in the cruise industry are passionate, resilient and dedicated. The people I work with have shown that they work together when the times are good and when the times are tough.
“I think we as a sector have demonstrated that we do the right thing at the right time. We were the first to suspend operations for example. We were able to demonstrate to customers, and potential customers, that we were able to take the necessary action at the right time.”
Unsung Hero Award Samantha Fisher, Inspire Group
“I wasn’t expecting that at all – I’m speechless. It’s so humbling to be recognised by the travel industry which is the industry I absolutely adore.
“Charity is so important to me and it’s wonderful to be recognised. The rest of the Inspire Group are going to be so happy for me and so incredibly proud. Lisa (Henning) is an amazing mentor and she pushes me to my limit and always has my back. I’m so thankful to have won.”
Employer of the Year Award: Ocean Holidays
George Hastings, managing director, said: “It’s such a surprise to have won and this the first Globe Award we’ve received so it’s really exciting. We have done a lot of work in the last two years finding out what our staff want and need and then worked to implement all of that so to have that recognised is amazing.
“This award will be front and centre at our town hall next week and the staff are going to be buzzing – at the end of the day, this award is all about them.”
More: Globe Travel Awards 2023: Winners revealed
Globe Travel Awards 2023: Special awards winners revealed
Globe Travel Awards 2023: Gallery from the night
