If you or one of your team has truly gone above and beyond in the past year – particularly against the extremely challenging backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic, then we want to hear about it.
We aren’t expecting to hear stories of impressive business growth and bumper sales but instead want to hear about agents who have gone the extra mile for their customers and colleagues, and proven their resilience.
We have five different agent categories you can enter (all for individual consultants, not the whole agency), and there are just three main questions to answer. You can write a nomination on a colleague’s behalf but you will need lots of detail about them. Here’s what to expect in the online form, plus tips on writing an award-winning entry:
Question One focuses on customer service, where you will be asked to give specific examples of having gone above and beyond the call of duty for customers in the last 12 months and how you have adapted to manage the demands of the pandemic.
- Judges are always impressed by specifics, so give numbers wherever you can: How many Thank You letters have you had from customers? If you are measured numerically – by NPS scores or review sites such as Feefo – what score have you achieved in the last 12 months?
- Testimonials from clients, colleagues or other partners can be helpful, but don’t swallow up your word count with feedback. There is a section at the end where you can add an additional document so you could use this for the testimonials.
Question Two focuses on your commitment to ‘fairer travel’. TTG Media’s mission statement is to promote a ‘fairer travel industry’ and we want to know how you work towards achieving this. There are three key areas to consider:
- championing responsible/sustainable tourism
- championing rights of all consumers to travel safely and enjoyably
- giving all travel professionals equal opportunity to achieve their potential regardless of who they are.
- Consider any training you have done – formal or informal – that might be relevant here eg. LGBT-friendly holidays or accessible holidays
- Think about how you choose the types of holidays you sell and promote – are they with responsible/sustainable operators?
- Think about how you have supported your colleagues and potentially others in the industry through the pandemic – and how have you helped them in their careers/roles?
Question Three looks at your business resilience, and asks how you have thought ahead and considered how you will come out of the pandemic stronger.
- Think about what you have done to keep in touch with your customers through the pandemic even when you couldn’t sell holidays/your options were very limited – calls/events/emails etc
- Consider any new skills you have learnt that will boost your product knowledge and marketing abilities post pandemic eg. Product training, social media/web design/newsletter training, system training etc
- You might include details of how you adapted what you were selling and finding new options for customers that complied with Covid restrictions
- Finally think about how you continued to inspire customers through the pandemic when travel was at a standstill – what approach did you take?
Remember: - The focus is always on the last 12 months, so give dates so judges know this activity fell within the judging period (March 31 2020 to April 1 2021).
- There is a maximum word count of 400 words for each of the three questions. You don’t have to write as many as 400, but if you’ve written fewer than 200 words per question, you may not have given enough evidence and detail to convince our judges.
- All agent categories are free to enter, and you can edit your submission online right up until the deadline of May 14.
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Agent categories
Cruise Agent of the Year
High Street Agent of the Year
Home Based Agent of the Year
Touring & Adventure Agent of the Year
Manager of the Year
In addition there are three Special Categories available to enter this year, open to both suppliers and agencies:
Best Place to Work in Travel 2021: An award for travel and tourism businesses that have made changes to their workplace in the last year – this could relate to measures taken to improve working practices and employee wellbeing through the pandemic, it could be steps taken to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace or any other initiatives to ensure employee wellbeing, support and progression is championed for all.
The Responsible Travel Award 2021: An award for travel and tourism businesses that have delivered an impactful, responsible travel initiative in the last 12 months.
Sustainable Travel Company of the Year 2021: An award for travel and tourism businesses that have significantly improved the sustainability of its operations in the last 12 months.
Click here to download the entry pack for all information regarding the awards entry process
Enter here
