Nearly 20 travel companies were recognised at the 2026 Best Workplaces in Travel (BWIT) Awards in London, with Luxury Coastal named Best Small Company and Golfbreaks taking the Best Mid-Size Company title.

The awards coincided with the release of BWIT's latest workplace research, which found employee engagement across participating businesses has climbed to 81%, up from 79% last year, while the employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) reached a record +64, rising from +56 in 2025.

Some 86% of employees also said they were "happy and proud" to work for their employer.

Golfbreaks emerged as one of the evening's biggest winners, collecting the overall Best Mid-Size Company award alongside three mid-size company Spotlight awards for Happiness, Performance and Recognition, and Advocacy.

Travel Nation also enjoyed a strong night, winning three Spotlight awards in the small company category for Wellbeing, Advocacy and Purpose.

BWIT Co-Founder Gail Kenny said the latest findings represented the strongest performance in the awards' history. "Five years in, this is our strongest set of results yet," she said. "What encourages me most is that the best travel employers aren’t standing still; they’re using feedback to keep getting better."

The research found employees continue to value work-life balance, supportive leadership, strong teamwork and feeling recognised, alongside fair pay.

However, respondents also highlighted a need for greater transparency around salaries, clearer career progression and better communication during periods of change.

BWIT said feedback and recognition – historically the survey's weakest-performing area – recorded the biggest improvement in this year's results, suggesting more employers are investing in recognising and developing staff.

Jo Harley, Workplace Culture Expert at Korero, said the strongest-performing businesses shared a common approach. 

"The companies thriving this year all have one thing in common: they listen to their people and act on what they hear," she said. "Our data shows travel is genuinely getting better at looking after its teams, but the gap between the best and the rest is widening."