The John Hays Entrepreneur of the Year Award, launched in 2021 in memory of industry titan John Hays, returns for 2023 to recognise a business owner who has launched and made a hug success of a new business in the last three years – or who has taken their company in a radically different direction in that time.

Previous recipients include James Cole, founder of Panache Cruises, and the three co-founders of The Luminaire. Dame Irene Hays and Helen Hays will join the judging panel, and will present the accolade to the winning individual at The Travel Industry Awards, by TTG on Thursday 28 September.

The Italian National Tourist Board LGBT+ Trailblazer of the Year category also returns this year, seeking nominations of travel professionals who’ve worked hard to champion the LGBT+ community either in their own business or in the industry more widely. Previous winners include Jo Rzymowska of Celebrity Cruises and Uwern Jong of LGBT+ focused magazine OutThere.

The Travel Legend award, meanwhile, is bestowed by the TTG Media team and sponsor Silversea upon an individual who has made a unique contribution to the travel industry, whether by championing the sector externally, or driving change within the industry. In 2021 this was awarded to Advantage Travel Partnership’s Julia Lo-Bue Said and in 2022 to Abta Lifeline’s Trudie Clements. 

The categories are all free to enter, with nominations now open online. The closing date for nominations is Friday 28 July.