The group travel industry's most prestigious and enjoyable annual event!
Following our gala presentation evening, held on Friday 1st June, we are delighted to reveal the winners of the 2018 Group Travel Awards.
We celebrated the 22nd edition of the prestigious Group Travel Awards at London’s Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel. The popular Welsh broadcaster, Matt Johnson, was our fantastic awards host, alongside Landor Travel Publications’ Partnership and Product Director, Sarah Jeffery. Together they welcomed the winners from the 26 nominated award categories (voted for by readers of GTO magazine) and five special editor’s awards.As well as the awards ceremony, guests were treated to a wonderful evening’s entertainment full of opportunities to catch up with colleagues. Beginning with a glamorous drinks reception sponsored by Bat Out of Hell, the night’s events included dancing to live music performed by the talented Chip Shop Boys, as well as a star of stage and screen, Louise Dearman, who entertained the crowd by performing two songs from the West End’s smash hit musical Wicked. Her mesmerising performance at the 2018 Group Travel Awards will live long in the memory with everyone who was there to witness it.
The Group Travel Awards are the highlight of the group travel industry year, and the GTO team would like to thank all sponsors of the awards for 2018, and we look forward to catching up with you all again at our Awards evening in 2019.
2018 Gallery
The 2018 winners are…
Best Airline for Groups
- Winner: Jet2.com
- Runner-up: easyjet
- British Airways
- Eurowings
- Flybe
- Ryanair
- Virgin Atlantic
Best European Destination for Groups
- Winner: Ireland
- Runner-up: Belgium
- Austria
- Germany
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Paris
Best Ocean Cruise Line Operator for Groups
- Winner: Cruise & Maritime Voyages
- Runner-up: Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
- Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
- P&O Cruises
- Princess Cruises
- SAGA
Best Information Product for Groups
- Winner: English Heritage Group Visits Guide 2017/18
- Runner-up: Delfont Mackintosh Theatres Groups Guide
- City & Village Tours
- greatdays.co.uk
- justforgroups.co.uk
- The National Trust Groups Guide 2017
Best Group Dining Experience
- Winner: Planet Hollywood
- Runner-up: Strand Palace Hotel
- Bateaux London
- Faulty Towers The Dining Experience
- Hard Rock Café
- London Cabaret Club
- Rainforest Café
Best Coach Operator for Groups
- Winner (Large): Edwards Coaches, Pontypridd
- Winner (Small): Dunwood Travel, Dudley
- Runner-up (Large): Lucketts Travel, Fareham
- Runner-up (Small): Eastons Holidays, Norwich
- Bakers Dolphin, Weston-super-Mare
- Brookline Coaches, West Malling
- Daish’s Holidays, Torquay
- David Ogden Holidays, St Helens
- Glenton Holidays, Normanton
- IOW Tours, Sandown
- Platinum Express, Wolverhampton
- Scotland & Bates, Ashford
- Shearings Holidays, Wigan
- Solus Coaches, Tamworth
Best Animal or Sea Life Attraction for Groups
- Winner: Longleat Safari & Adventure Park, Wiltshire
- Runner-up: West Midland Safari & Leisure Park, Worcestershire
- Bristol Zoo
- Chester Zoo, Cheshire
- ZSL London Zoo
- Paradise Wildlife Park
- SEA LIFE London Aquarium
Best Sea Crossing Operator for Groups
- Winner: Eurostar
- Runner-up: Eurotunnel
- Brittany Ferries
- DFDS Seaways
- Irish Ferries
- P&O Ferries
Best Group Tour Operator
- Winner: Greatdays Travel Group, Cheshire
- Runner-up: IOW Tours, Isle of Wight
- Airedale Tours, West Yorkshire
- Daish’s Holidays, Bournemouth
- Dunwood Travel, Dudley
- Just for Groups! Norwich
- InterChoice Holidays, Wolverhampton
- Travelsphere, Market Harborough
Best Holiday Park for Groups
- Winner: Potters Resort, Norfolk
- Runner-up: Mill Rythe Holiday Village, Hayling Island (Away Resorts)
- Norton Grange, Isle of Wight (Warner Leisure Hotels)
- Sand Bay Weston-Super-Mare – Pontins
- Gunton Hall Coastal Village, Suffolk
Best Family Day Out
- Winner: Drayton Manor Theme Park, Staffordshire
- Runner-up: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
- Alton Towers, Staffordshire
- Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes
- Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Surrey
- Legoland Windsor Resort
- Royal International Air Tattoo Fairford
Best European Attraction for Groups
- Winner: Disneyland Paris, France
- Runner-up: Titanic Belfast, Northern Ireland
- The Colosseum, Italy
- Guinness Storehouse, Ireland
- Keukenhof Gardens, Holland
- The Louvre, France
Best Individual Hotel for Groups
- Winner: Daish’s Hotel, Shanklin
- Runner-up: St Kilda Hotel, Llandudno
- Constantinou Bros Athena Beach Hotel, Paphos
- Cricket St Thomas Hotel, Somerset
- The Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
- The Strand Palace, London
- Yarn Market Hotel, Dunster
Best Group Ticketing Agency
- Winner: Encore
- Runner-up: Group Line
- Applause Store
- Delfont Mackintosh Theatres
- Groups Direct
- SEE Groups
- Ticketmaster
Best Event for Groups
- Winner: Christmas at Kew
- Runner-up: Royal Ascot
- BBC Gardeners’ World Live
- Classical Spectacular, Royal Albert Hall
- Countryfile Live
- RHS Hampton Court Flower Show
- Thursford Christmas Spectacular
Best Canal or Riverboat Operator for Groups
- Winner: City Cruises
- Runner-up: MBNA Thames Clippers
- Bateaux London
- French Brothers
- River Cruise Line
- Skipton Boat Trips
Best Rail Operator for Groups
- Winner: Virgin Trains
- Runner-up: GWR
- Belmond British Pullman
- CrossCountry
- South West Trains
- West Somerset Railway
Best Company or Venue Offering Guided Tours
- Winner: City & Village Tours
- Runner-up: Canterbury Guided Tours
- BBC Tours
- Big Bus Tours, London
- Emmerdale Village Tour
- Groups Direct
- The Houses of Parliament
- The Royal Albert Hall
Best West End Production
- Winner: 42nd Street
- Runner-up: Les Misérables
- Bat Out Of Hell The Musical
- Jersey Boys
- Motown The Musical
- The Lion King
- The Phantom Of The Opera
- Wicked
Best University Accommodation for Groups
- Winner: University Of Kent, Canterbury
- Runner-up: University of Portsmouth
- Cardiff University
- Imperial College London
- St Aidan’s College at Durham University
- York Conferences at The University of York
Best Historic House and/or Garden for Groups
- Winner: Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
- Runner-up: Hampton Court Palace, Richmond upon Thames
- Chatsworth House, Derbyshire
- Hever Castle Kent
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- RHS Garden Wisley
- The Savill Garden, Windsor
- Windsor Castle
Most Group Friendly Hotel Chain or Group
- Winner: Warner Leisure Hotels
- Runner-up: Daish’s Hotel Group
- Abacus Hotels
- Best Western Hotels & Resorts
- Hilton Hotels
- Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts
- Leisureplex Hotels
- TLH Leisure Resort
Best Attraction for Group Visits – London
- Winner: The View from The Shard
- Runner-up: The Houses of Parliament
- Buckingham Palace
- Coca-Cola London Eye
- Cutty Sark
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- The Postal Museum
- Tower of London
Best Attraction for Group Visits
- Winner: Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes
- Runner-up: Ironbridge Gorge Museum, Shropshire
- Bombay Sapphire Distillery, Laverstoke Mill
- Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
- Shakespeare’s Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon
- SS Great Britain, Bristol
- The Beatle’s Story Liverpool
Best UK Destination for Groups
- Winner: Liverpool
- Runner-up: London
- Canterbury
- Cardiff
- Isle of Wight
- Kent
- York
Special award winners…
Innovation in Tourism
- Kynren – An Epic Tale of England
Little Treasures of Britain Award
- Apedale Heritage Centre
Development of Incoming Group Visitors to the UK Award
- The Beatles Story
Technological Innovation Award
- Geotourist
Outstanding Contribution to Group Travel by an Individual Award
- Gary and Rita Beckwith
The Group Travel Awards is proud to be sponsored by:
Sponsorship of a category at the 2019 Group Travel Awards is a great profile raising opportunity, and gives your company branding across a multitude of platforms.
In exchange for your sponsorship, we offer:
- Editorial coverage in GTO in issues leading up to the event.
- Complimentary seats at the gala evening presentation event.
- Coverage in the Awards Menu.
- Your logo to appear on a powerpoint display during the gala evening, plus enhanced exposure when you present your category.
- Your company logo displayed prominently on the Group Travel Awards website, together with a direct link to your own web site.
- Together with our Celebrity Host, you will present the trophy to the winner of your chosen category.
- Editorial coverage regarding your involvement in the awards will be published in the special Awards Supplement which accompanies the June/July 2019 issue of GTO Magazine after the event.
- Logo credits on e-mails promoting the event.
Sponsorship of The Group Travel Awards is an opportunity to invest and celebrate in group travel excellence!
Contact Sarah Jeffery
With a passion for travel, Sarah has worked within the industry for almost 20 years. 17 of these have been spent with Landor Travel Publications, specialising in the group travel industry; working on GTO Magazine, together with regional and national group travel exhibitions. The 2019 Group Travel Awards will be the 11th that Sarah has organised and are the highlight of Sarah’s industry calendar.
To discuss sponsorship opportunities or should you have any questions about the awards, please contact Sarah via one of the methods below.
In addition to sponsorship of a category at the 2019 Group Travel Awards, other sponsorship opportunities are:
Drinks Reception
Table Centres
Gala Dinner Menu
Table Plans and Place Cards
Fun Casino
Entertainment