Luxury agents and suppliers from across the travel industry can now enter the TTG Luxury Travel Awards 2024, in association with Silversea, set to be the biggest in the event’s history.
Free to enter, there are eight agent categories, this year including New Luxury Travel Designer of the Year, seeking out the best new talent in the sector.
Back for 2024 after its debut in the 2023 awards is Luxury Travel Big Idea of the Year, which will allow agents to go into more detail on a business initiative they are most proud of in the last 12 months.
There are eight categories for suppliers, including a split for hotel companies into two categories, allowing smaller hotel groups a chance to shine separately to the larger global companies in the sector.
There are also two Special Categories which agencies or suppliers can enter – the return for a second year of Luxury Travel Workplace of the Year and Sustainability Hero of the Year, which attracted a record number of entries for the 2023 awards, proving how important this area has become within the luxury sector.
“We work hard to make sure our awards are reflective of the sector and carefully assess our entry processes and categories ever year to make them as robust as possible,” said April Hutchinson, editor and publisher of TTG Luxury.
“For the 2023 awards, we had the most entries we have ever had since launching in 2018 as the luxury travel trade’s first multi-sector recognition initiative, and we can’t wait to hear all the stories of resilience and brilliance from across the sector as the entries come in,” she added.
The TTG Luxury Travel Awards 2024 will be held at the most prestigious new hotel to open in London for several years, Raffles London at The OWO.
Taking place on Friday 1 March 2024, the event will maintain its popular afternoon format, with networking drinks in The Lawrence followed by lunch and the awards ceremony in the hotel’s magnificent Whitehall Ballroom.
Around 350 guests from across the luxury travel sector will gather in the ballroom of the hotel, which has been created within the walls of the original Old War Office, built in 1906 and former site of the original Palace of Whitehall.
“Our awards represent a true celebration of the best luxury travel brands and individuals across aviation, hotels, tour operating, cruise, and travel advisors, as well as recognising leaders in sustainability, and we can’t wait to do that at this incredible hotel,” said Hutchinson. “Since we launched the awards in 2018, they have gone from strength to strength and holding them in such a prestigious venue is going to be a tough one to top.”
The awards are still free to enter and for 2024, easier to follow entry forms have been broken down into very clearly defined sections, including details on exactly the kind of detail judges will be looking for in a full entry, under areas such as Marketing; Training & Product Knowledge; Customer Service; Sustainable Travel; Your Workplace; and Business Performance.
“We know these forms are very in-depth, and these are not easy awards to win, but we expect the best from entrants, who should be the ultimate example of a luxury travel company,” said Hutchinson. “TTG Media champions a travel industry that is fairer to travellers of all backgrounds; fairer to the people that work in travel; and fairer to the environment and the communities affected by tourism – our assessment forms reflect this.”
A handy entry pack is available for those interested in putting themselves forward, and activities in entries must relate to the judging period August 2022–August 2023.
TTG’s editors will then shortlist the submissions, with finalists judged by panels of senior luxury travel industry professionals who will meet to choose the winner.
Agent categories are judged by industry leaders from the supplier side, while supplier entries are judged by panels of senior-level travel advisors to ensure companies are assessed by agents who actively sell luxury travel.
Special categories will be judged by experts in their fields, while the Contribution to Luxury Travel award will be decided by the TTG Luxury team and is given to an outstanding individual who has driven huge change in the sector, is a known and respected innovator, or is revered as a shining example of a leader in luxury travel.
Past recipients include Justin Wateridge, Steppes; Matthew Upchurch, Virtuoso; Bill Bensley, BENSLEY; Amanda Matthews and Karen Pocock, Designer Travel; and Roy Collett, Colletts Travel.
