Nominations for five special categories in TTG’s Top 50 Travel Agencies 2023 are now being sought, to recognise agents and agencies making their stamp in particular areas.
Winners of the awards, celebrating customer service, community engagement, sustainability, back-office support, as well as overall contribution, will be revealed as part of the Top 50 ceremony on April 27 at The Vox in Birmingham, alongside the winners of 19 other categories.
The Intrepid Sustainable Travel Champion of the Year Award is new for 2023 and will recognise one individual agent or a whole team who have worked hard in the last 12 months to educate themselves on sustainable travel, to promote responsible holiday options to their clients, and/or to take steps to make their own business operations more sustainable. Judges will not expect entrants to be experts - but simply passionate about making a difference.
The Avis We Try Harder Customer Service Award will recognise an individual agent who has gone to extraordinary lengths for one particular client in the last year. If you or a colleague has gone well above and beyond to look after a customer in difficulty, a client with complex requirements, or to make an experience extra-special for your customer, please tell us all about it.
The Community Hero Award, sponsored by Hurtigruten Expeditions, is open to individual agents, as well as to agencies/agency teams, who have worked hard in the last 12 months to give back to the local community either here in the UK or in overseas destinations to which we travel. That might include raising money, volunteering, successful partnerships, and giving opportunities to those that need them most.
The Visit Florida Ray of Sunshine Award is back for a second year, to recognise team members who are not in a customer-facing role, but whose energy, passion and positivity light up the day and play an important part in a travel agency’s team spirit and success. Nominees might be in back-office roles such as admin, marketing or accounts and could work in head office for an agency group/consortium as well as in a high street branch or office-based agency. We’ll need you to explain how they go above and beyond to support their teammates and the business, and how they bring a sunshine attitude to work each day that would make a Floridian proud.
For all four of the above categories, submissions should relate to the period industry 1 January, 2021 - 31 December, 2022. A judging panel will decide a shortlist and the winner, and five shortlisted agents/agency representatives will be invited to attend the Top 50 ceremony on 27 April, with a complimentary ticket to join our category sponsor’s table specifically.
The Contribution to Travel Award, sponsored by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, will recognise a unique individual who has made a stand-out contribution to the retail sector in the UK or Irish travel markets, particularly during the last 12 months. Previous recipients have included Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel Group and Phil Nuttall, CEO of The Travel Village Group. TTG’s senior editorial team will make their own recommendations, but nominations are also welcome.
See ttgtop50.com for more information and to nominate in any of these categories. The submission deadline for all five categories is Friday 3 March, 2023.