More: Globe Travel Awards 2024: Winners revealed
Globe Travel Awards 2024: Special awards winners revealed
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The travel trade’s favourite suppliers were honoured at the 2024 Globe Travel Awards. Look back at how the night unfolded with live reaction as winners were announced
Best Long-Haul Operator: Gold Medal
Trade partnership director, Karen Fletcher, said: “It feel absolutely amazing to win. It’s testament to all of the team’s really hard work.
“It’s down to our amazing marketing, dedicated homeworkers and a call centre that can provide really high-quality quotes.”
Best UK Airport: Heathrow
Product lead for assistance, James Davies, said: “Last year was a difficult one for aviation and we were delighted to serve nearly 80m passengers and for the airport to be back to its best.”
Product lead for Terminal 5, Natalie Dobson, added: “We’ve placed a lot of focus on the customer experience and on our assistance product, introducing new host areas, making sure we have trolleys available and ensuring everything runs smoothly to give that seamless passenger experience.”
Best Long-Haul Specialist Operator: Wendy Wu Tours
Head of trade sales, Gary King, said: “Winning this award makes all the blood, sweat and tears worth it.
“We’ve engaged with a lot of new travel agents in the past year and that is why I think we’ve won this award.”
Founder, Wendy Wu, added: “Gary’s team has done a fantastic job training agents about our specialist destinations. We are very easy to work with and we offer fully inclusive touring options which means we optimise agents’ commission earnings.
“In all our destinations, we always ensure our customers uncover something that other operators don’t provide.”
Best Luxury Operator: Classic Collection
Director of agency sales and marketing, Si Morris-Green, said “It’s testament to every single travel agent partner who recognises the value that we add to their businesses.
“I’ve the last year we’ve tweaked our product direction to exclusivity and we’ve made sure we’ve had unique products for our partners.”
Chief executive, Andy Freeth, said: “We’ve got an amazing team of experts who curate the products that make us stand out, and we deliver an amazing concierge service that agents have embraced. And that’s probably why we’ve got the vote.
!We also care a lot, not just about the agent but the end customer. The fact agents have voted for us is testament to the work of everyone in our team who does an amazing job.”
Best Trade Sales Team and Best Trade-Friendly Brand: Jet2holidays
Travel agent relationships director, Alan Cross, said: “A lot of hard work goes behind this and a lot of work from the agents and it’s really nice to see that the joint effort that we put in together has actually been rewarded this evening. I’m so proud of the team. Each and every one of them works so hard to get this – it’s definitely a team effort.
“All I’ll say is, if you thought we were good this year, just wait until next year. We’ve got so many ideas in place to roll out there, so many things that are in place to be delivered and that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. What we want for the independent travel agents out there is to work with them to make their business better and sell more Jet2holidays.”
Trade sales general manager, Lloyd Cross, said: “The last thing we ever want to be is complacent and that’s our promise to the trade – we will never get complacent and we will strive to do better each year.”
Best Flight-Only Provider: Jetset
Chloe Smyth, said: “This is a hat trick for us.”
Madeline Mcfadden, said: “Thank you to everyone who voted for us.”
Best Add-Ons Provider and Best Insurance Provider: Holiday Extras
Managing director of insurance, Howard Dove, said: “I’m over the moon. We’ve held the travel insurance award for 14 consecutive years and every year I’m terrified we might not win it.
“This is our 15th year and quite a big landmark. I was just delighted and that followed us winning holiday add-ons provider. It was just the best night. Thank you to any person who voted for us, it means such a lot.”
Best Short Haul Operator: Jet2holidays
Travel agents relationship director, Alan Cross, said: “We never take this award for granted. It’s a great start to the year, it puts the icing on the cake.
“This is about quality, service and value. We launched our Partners to Success scheme seven years ago and we still abide by that. We are here for the long term. And I have no problem building another shelf for our Travel Weekly Globe Awards!”
Best UK Holidays Operator: Great Little Breaks
Head of brand, Paula Martin, said: “This award is down to the whole team; they work so hard and have done so much to engage with travel agents face to face and to get our name out there.
“It’s all paid off. Everything we do is for agents and it proves what we are doing us right. To have agents’ recognition is sensational; it means so much.”
Best tech provider: Amadeus
UK country manager, Clare de Bono, said: “Thank you to the agents who voted for us. It’s an amazing industry to be part of.
“We’re really privileged to support and contribute to all of them. Thank you it’s been a fantastic night. Thanks to Travel Weekly and thanks to the industry.”
Best Operator for Activities: Inghams
Hotelplan Business Development Manager, Laura Harrison, said: ‘We’re really excited and happy that we’ve been able to support the trade partners again, and they’ve been able to see the support that we give them. And we’re really grateful that they recognise that and they were able to give us this award for the 8th time.
“We’re now off to the dance floor to celebrate!”
Best Accommodation-Only Provider: Bedsonline
Retail director, Rebecca Brett, said: “We’re always really excited to win this one because it’s voted for by our agent partners.
“It means they believe in what we’ve done and what we’ve delivered this year, and the team have worked incredibly hard – we’re just glad that that has come across. our agents are our lifeblood – without them, we don’t have a business.”
Best River Cruise Company: Riviera Travel
Head of international sales, Tom Morgan, said: “We’re very happy to win. We never expect to take home a Globe so it’s always a lovely surprise when we do.
“The fact the awards are voted for by agents makes them ten times more special for us. The team have been out on the road working so closely with agents over the last 12 months and this win is really for them.”
Best Mainstream Cruise Company: Royal Caribbean International
Vice-president Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ben Bouldin, said: “This is our 17th year winning this award on the bounce so we are thrilled to win it again as we never take it for granted.
“The Globes is undoubtedly the awards event that we value the most as it’s voted for by agents so to win is fantastic. We keep agents at the forefront of everything we do so to know they are supporting us is great.”
Best Luxury Cruise Company: Silversea Cruises
Managing director UK and Ireland, Peter Shanks, said: “The first thing is, what our officers and crew do on the ships around the world is incredible, so this really is a credit to them.
“Secondly, our team are the most wonderful team and they’re doing brilliant things. And thirdly obviously our travel agent partners – they voted for us, we work our socks off to support them and therefore it’s a credit to the relationship we’ve built with our travel advisor partners.
“It’s a bit stressful for me because I think this is the 17th or 18th year we’ve won it!”
Best Premium Cruise Company: Virgin Voyages
Vice president of sales, Shane Lewis-Riley, said: “It’s incredible. It’s amazing for us to get this accolade.
“It shows all the hard work that the team put into it.”
Best Specialist Cruise Company: Hurtigruten
Vice president sales & marketing, Anthony Daniels, said: “This isn’t the first time we’ve won but to win again makes us so proud.
“Our team in the UK are the best and this just shows how much we’re loved by the trade and the love is reciprocal”
Best Ferry Company: P&O Ferries
Managing director, Louise Bell, said: It is such a delight to receive this award and we really appreciate the support we get from the whole travel industry.
“It’s a perfect end to a great 2023.”
Best Short-Haul Airline: Jet2.com
General manager for trade sales, Lloyd Cross, said: “It’s great to win the award again this year. It shows that customers love what we do and so do travel agents when it comes to flying with us.
“It’s because of our obsession with customer service and our obsession to keep improving in any way we can.”
Best Long-Haul Airline and Best Premium Airline Service: Emirates
Regional sales manager Julie Bailey said: “For us, this is such recognition.
“We’re delighted the trade has recognised the hard work we put into our field work and our support for agents.”
She added: “We’re lucky to have such an extensive sales force across the UK. We have people based at every airport we fly from. The support we get from agents is 100%.”
Best Premium Touring Company: Titan Travel
Head of trade, Hayley Morris, said: “It means everything to win this award. We have not won this for three or four years so to win it after a difficult year for the business, in which there has been a lot of transition, is just fantastic and unexpected.
“The team has done so much to support our agent partners, whether it’s marketing or visits, and it means so much for agents to recognise us in this way. We are truly shocked beyond belief and want to thank all our agent partners.”
Best Car Rental Company Flexible Autos
Group managing director, Sue Dixon, said: “We have won this award year after year but we never take it for granted. We are over the moon. Because we are trade only travel agents mean everything to us, we cannot get this award without their support.
“I want to thank agents. Car hire can be a complicated product but I think having a UK call centre has made a difference for us as well as the great relationships we have in the trade. We value agents and have an amazing team.”
Best Mainstream Touring Company: Newmarket Holidays
Head of trade sales, Richard Forde, said: “We’re absolutely ecstatic, especially as this is our third win in a row. It really does mean the world and we’re truly humbled.”
Chief commercial officer, David Sharman, said: “The first award was special but to compete the hat-trick tonight is extra special as it’s such a competitive market with so many great companies. We’re so delighted.
“We had a plan during Covid and we have executed it just as we’d planned, which is highlighted by these wins. But we don’t take anything for granted and we’re going to bolster our team further to make sure we continue to be the best we can be.
“I’d like to mention Atas, which has been and continues to be a tremendous platform for us.”
Best Hotel Chain: Constantinou Bros
Sales and marketing director, Alex Babic, said: “It feels incredible to win. I think we’re underdogs but we’ve done a great job. It’s been a lot of hard work – lots of trips, fam trips conferences.”
Sales executive, Suzanne Warren, said: “It’s our first time winning. It’s been a lot of hard work from our team in Cyprus. And a lot of amazing agents that we’d like to thank.”
Sales and marketing manager, Mark Richardson, said: “The team in the UK and Cyprus combined just engaging with agents and tour operators. All the other companies in there have 50-100 hotels, we have four so we feel like we’re punching above our weight”
Best Attraction Walt Disney World Resort
“We’re so grateful. Disney has done some amazing things this year – the 50th anniversary has been really great.
“We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming – not just Walt Disney Worlds but all our parks, resorts and cruises – and we hope our trade partners will come along on the journey with us”
Best Rail Company: Rocky Mountaineer
Director of Sales EMEA, Steve Harris, said: “So happy to win for the fourth year in a row. We offer an amazing brand and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“We’ve got to thank our trade partners as we wouldn’t be here without then. We’ve got great products and some new products in the USA as well as new iconic experiences in Canada. We can’t wait to celebrate tonight!
Best Adventure Operator: G Adventures
National sales manager Stu Darnley, said: “Since this award’s inception six years ago, we’ve won every time and we don’t take that for granted.
“We’re just so pleased that the agents are recognising our hard work as they’re so important to us. to be recognised again is so fantastic.”
Best Tourist Board Barbados Tourism Marketing
UK director Cheryl Carter, said: “It means a lot. This shows confidence in the Barbados brand and the travel trade are an integral part of what we do.
“We are overwhelmed. We feel very honoured.”
Best All-Inclusive Resort Operator: Ikos Resorts
Regional director sales and marketing, Lee Barker, said: “It feels amazing to win, it’s the third time in three years and we’re just thankful to all the agents. They’ve supported us so much over the last three years and it’s great to see that again this year.”
Outstanding Achievement: Dame Irene Hays
The Hays Travel chair and owner, said: “I am totally overwhelmed; I’m lost for words but I’m astonished, surprised and delighted.”
“My passion has always been young people so for me to receive this after John makes it even more special.
“I am lost for words. So many people in the industry do great work, not just Hays Travel. I am delighted to win.”
Unsung Hero Award: Matt Nixon
The co-founder of 52 Degrees North Travel, said: “I can’t believe it. I don’t feel worthy – it’s just bonkers.
“This year I want to help people find their next experience. That’s what my wife and I really feel passionate about – helping people come back from a holiday and feeling they’ve had an amazing experience that they may not have had from organising things themselves.”
Employer of the Year Award Kuoni
Managing director, Mark Duguid, said: “I’m absolutely delighted. It’s a little surprising to be honest. We were confident but there were some really strong contenders in this category which makes the win even more satisfying.
“I’m already thinking about how I’m going to communicate this win to our team, because that’s what this award is all about. I can’t wait to see their reaction.
“We recently conducted an engagement survey among our 300 staff which revealed 97% of employees are proud to work for Kuoni, which was incredible.
“I don’t think there’s one initiative in particular we’ve introduced that has led to this award, it’s just down to diligently continuing to do the right thing for our people and making sure they’re looked after.”
Travel for All Award: Ocean Holidays
Co-CEO Harry Hastings, said: “It feels fantastic to be recognised in this way and I’m so proud of the team.
We’ve worked hard to embed a culture at Ocean Holidays and this is proof that the hard work is worth it.
What makes it even sweeter is the fact it was our 20th anniversary last year, which saw us undergo a brand refresh.
I can’t wait to go back to the office with this award and use it to remind our staff that this is why we put the hard work in.
Of course good sales are important but the recognition that our work in striving to make holidays accessible for all is what really matters.
It feels great to know we’re one of the UK’s fastest-growing operators while doing the right thing. We’re absolutely delighted.
More: Globe Travel Awards 2024: Winners revealed
Globe Travel Awards 2024: Special awards winners revealed
Gallery: The Globe Travel Awards 2024
