Agency sales manager Philippa Meadows described the recognition from the judging panel as “absolutely massive”, before hailing the foundations laid by Moore that she said ultimately led to Explore winning the prize.

Moore co-founded Explore in 1981, but sold the business 19 years later. He went on to serve for many years as chair and deputy of chair of Aito before passing away in January after a lengthy illness.

He set up The Derek Moore Foundation prior to the pandemic to ensure some of the proceeds from the sale of Explore went to good causes in small, often tourism-dependent communities around the world.

“Derek Moore started it all," Meadows told TTG. "Just look at what has been achieved in so many different countries by the grassroots projects he has supported. That has continued to today. [Sustainability] is in our DNA, and Derek Moore started that. 

“We were so sad to lose him, but we’re so proud today. This award is for him. We 100% deserve it.”

Laura Dewar, Explore’s senior PR and content manager, said: “To be named Sustainable Travel Company of the Year as Explore Worldwide, that is just incredible. It really has made our year.

“Explore has been going for 42 years and sustainability has always been at the core of what we do and in recent years it has become increasingly important and talked about.”

Dewar added the operator had always kept a close focus on sustainability, and made sure it was a company-wide priority. “This is a really strong accolade that we’ve kept on it,” she said. 

Adam Ringer, sales and customer service manager, said: “For us, this is the award that we had to win.”