Why he was chosen: "Steve and Paul have reciprocal entrepreneurial talents. They invest strongly in their people and training and are growing impressively despite significant industry challenges. Their business has helped bring through other travel entrepreneurs, changed people’s lives and they have a clear strategy for the future."

Judges said: "Steve is an outstanding force for accessibility in travel, helping to drive change at business, industry and governmental levels. Spearheading Jet2.com and Jet2holiday's accessibility strategy to improve service and experience for thousands of travellers, his tireless advocacy includes a number of cross-industry roles co-chairing the DfT's Industry Accessible Aviation Implementation Group, IATA's accessibility panel and helping shape Abta guidance."

Why he was chosen: "Few can claim to have reshaped the modern travel retail sector like David Speakman. He was initially a quantity surveyor, before going on to pioneer the homeworking model in UK travel at a time when the high street dominated. He launched Travel Counsellors in 1994, and under his leadership, the brand grew into the world's largest travel homeworking company. His influence is still felt today as the prominence of home-based advisors grows stronger and stronger."

Judges said: "A true cruise expert in every sense, Gillian's tenacious sales performance and exemplary service have seen her scoop this accolade once again. Achieving an outstanding sales performance during the judging period, with a 75% repeat booking rate, her steadfast commitment to customers shines through - from a personal Blackpool client appreciation event, to co-hosting luxury cruises with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Gillian's cruise show in her local area of Southport, was just one of a number of entrepreneurial ways she drives new business, while she also ensures talking about sustainability in a practicable, jargon-free way. A deserving winner."

Judges said: "Thea walks the walk as a Touring and Adventure Expert. She wants to deliver experience, not just tick off bucket lists. She leads from the front, educating her customers about travelling more responsibly in such a way they can’t fail to come onboard. This agent recognises her clients are humans, with personal touches to let them know she’s thinking of them and immediate hands-on problem solving to secure their dream experiences, evidenced by an astonishing repeat booking rate and the grit she has shown to drive her success."

Judges said: “Consistently demonstrating how he always has clients front of mind, Scott supports customers with expertise, care and compassion - reaching an exceptional 82% repeat booking rate. It's no wonder he doubled his sales target during the judging period! Cotton Travel’s charity and community ambassador, Scott drives the agency’s support of local causes and fundraising initiatives – as well being a strong advocate for LGBT+ travellers, ensuring clients feel confident choosing destinations around the world.”

Judges said: "Ben's business, Out of this World Travel, truly lives up to the name. He stood out for his personal depth and breadth of knowledge, his agency's end-to-end concierge approach and ambitious vision for the future, while supporting a diverse range of clientele from the LGBT+ community to neurodiverse clients and families. Utilising new technology has also created new customer service touchpoints."

Judges said: "Libby impressed with her outstanding combination of passion, commercial focus and approachable leadership. She demonstrated creativity and entrepreneurial thinking while consistently delivering against business objectives and maintaining standards. She has built an award-winning team and represents the kind of forward-thinking, people-focused leader travel retail needs more of."

Judges said: "Beth stood out for her ability to combine a customer-first approach with outstanding commercial success, demonstrating a level of maturity, quiet confidence and professionalism well beyond her years. Her ability to put customers at the heart of every decision was widely praised, coupled with her outstanding sales figures placing her among the company's top performers."

Judges said: "For any agent aspiring to deliver exceptional customer service, Anne is one to watch. She consistently goes above and beyond with a concierge-style approach, including home visits for customers with accessibility or health needs, alongside imaginative marketing. From building her social media presence from scratch, to developing community partnerships and spotting unexpected sales opportunities - she is always thinking outside the box."

Judges: "Andrew lives and breathes Smarter, Better, Fairer values and goes above and beyond to help champion a more inclusive industry, from delivering DEI training to hundreds of staff throughout Tui's retail estate, to supporting colleagues and customers. Whether it's simplifying processes, introducing more inclusive language or challenging misconceptions, Andrew is a true role model and advocate whose work is having a real impact."

Judges said: “World Accessible Holidays lives up to its name in every way. The team's commitment to outstanding service never falters and the hiring of staff with disabilities and offering work placements for disabled students reflects the company's deep-rooted values and the importance it places on lived experiences. The team also shares knowledge at outside of the industry events and impressively doubled turnover during the judging period."

Judges said: "Demonstrating an exceptional, employee-led workplace culture, Travelsphere and Just You was praised for its dynamic communication channels, which actively gather and implement staff feedback directly into business operations. Wellbeing is deeply embedded, driven by brilliant wellbeing champions and authentic employee input. This seamless combination of listening, empowerment, and supportive care made their submission truly stand out."

Judges said: "Hurtigruten’s Open Village programme is a brilliantly conceived, creative and ambitious idea that addresses both over-tourism and under-tourism at the same time. The extent to which the local community has been involved in co-designing the programme is impressive, and the impacts of the project are being carefully monitored and measured. There is much that other operators can learn from this innovative, sucesssful, and scaleable project."

Judges said: "Explore Worldwide’s efforts to prioritise people and planet are nothing short of extraordinary - adding 46 new Positive Impact Experiences to its itineraries. An in-house carbon literacy programme ensures staff have impact reduction front of mind. Delivering all this while reporting a third consecutive year of record bookings, and the operator’s strongest financial performance to date, means there is no travel company more deserving of this accolade."

Judges said: "Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency's groundbreaking roll-out of a mandatory sustainability certification programme for hotels nationwide has seen a significant uplift in the number of hotels now certified, and there have also been successful efforts to make Turkiye a more accessible and inclusive destination. Turkiye is a destination that has not only set an ambitious tourism strategy but has followed through with practical action, and is making tangible change at huge scale."

Judges said: "SystemsX's Sense stood out for being something completely innovative, unique and time-saving that stands on its own rather than being a replacement for a legacy system. The concept is well-defined and solves a real, tangible problem for a wide variety of businesses. The application has provided evidence of clear positive business outcomes for SystemsX itself and its clients, as well as plans to make the product widely available should others wish to give it a try."

Judges said: "Explore Worldwide has shown considerable momentum in the family market during the judging period – with initiatives including the launch of its first dedicated family trade brochure, redesigned family landing page and publishing a dedicated single-parent travel guide. Strong marketing campaigns showcase a diverse range of activity, signalling a commitment to make more holidays accessible to a wider range of families."

Judges said: "Flexible Autos showcased impressive year-on-year growth, significantly expanded global footprint and continued to diversify product offering, adding nearly 200 new car hire locations. This is backed up by a proactive, high-energy approach to agent engagement. Technology upgrades and progressive policies covering menopause support and flexible working were also praised.”

Judges said: “Impressive investment in product development, including fleet refurbishment, substantially increasing kayaking capacity in Antarctica, and partnering with Inuit Elders on excursions in Arctic Canada, helped HX Expeditions stand out, while prioritising a dedicated UK call centre, a sector-leading ESG report and impactful diversity and inclusion policies also impressed."

Judges said: "Backed by an expanded trade team, Virgin Voyages has seen its engagement with agent partners supercharged in the past 12 months - including the line’s largest single-ship trade event welcoming more than 1,500 agents onboard Brilliant Lady in Portsmouth - while a series of sustainability initiatives delivered a 40% waste reduction. The line’s commitment to championing an inclusive workplace culture both onboard and shoreside shone through."

Judges said: “A standout year of innovation and outstanding trade support saw Riviera Travel claim this award. Riviera introduced a number of impactful technology updates - most notably the launch of Riva AI, an always-on support tool for agents, as well as new agent incentive platform, Riviera Vault. Meanwhile, the successful introduction of a dedicated solo traveller ship shows Riviera clearly understands where it sits within the competitive sector and refuses to stand still."

Judges said: “If Only’s growth story over the last year is hugely impressive – fuelled by careful consideration of market and consumer trends to diversify and elevate product. New agent engagement initiatives - including a concierge service and pivoted loyalty programme – have been a triumph, solidifying an unwavering relationship with trade partners and setting up the brand for future success."

Judges said: “This is a business as passionate about its commitment to sustainability and inclusion as it is about supporting travel agents – hosting more than 1,000 trade partners at events around the UK last year. EasyJet holidays blends industry-leading environmental initiatives, including a high-profile COP climate engagement, with driving a fantastic people-first culture alongside impressive business growth."

Judges said: "With newly launched Elite and Ambassador agent programmes, Grecotel continues to demonstrate its unwavering support for trade partners. An entry packed with successes – from impressive sales growth and high guest satisfaction scores, to impactful and well-evidenced sustainability initiatives – this brand never stands still!”

Judges said: "With a new Climate Department, Intrepid's commitment to sustainability is outstanding and their ability to think about inclusivity across all corners of business, from their staff to their tours, brings another level of detail within this competitive sector. Exciting new destinations and redesigned trips to reduce carbon footprint show this operator's innovation while delivering agent support."