2018 Results

Winners and runners-up in the 2018 Group Travel Awards

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