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