awards

Family Traveller Awards 2017 – a huge success!

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On Tuesday 21 November 2017, the third annual Family Traveller Awards took place at a buzzing ceremony in central London. Over two hundred guests turned up to see our host, TV personality Alice Beer, present the crème de la crème of the family travel industry with their Family Traveller awards.

Every year our Awards get bigger and better and of course, we couldn’t have done it without you, our readers. This year, a record 45,000 of you voted for your favourite travel companies. Over two thousand travel companies were nominated and 240 were shortlisted for 20 categories. Our readers voted on every element of a family trip from the transport to the tour operator and from the accommodation to the kids’ club. The results clearly show that parents are looking for active and culturally enriching holidays over and above lazy fly and flop options.

Guests arrive for the 2017 Awards

Movers and shakers in the travel industry gather for the Family Traveller Awards

From left: Family Traveller Editor Jane, Ready Camp winner and host Alice Beer

Holidays designed to enrich the lives of children are becoming increasingly popular, signalling that families want to get the most from their time together. We’re excited to see that hotels are improving their facilities and services for families, and kids’ clubs are increasingly focusing on providing its mini members with local and cultural experiences inside and outside of the hotel property.

Jane Anderson, editor of Family Traveller magazine, says: ‘Transformative travel, authentic experiences and active outdoorsy holidays are on the rise for families. The industry has clearly recognised that parents and carers are seeking enriching experiences and are providing holidays which are tailored, great value and leave their customers with memories to treasure for years to come.’

The panel of judges consisted of a range of travel experts, including: Jane Anderson, Simon Reeve, BBC presenter; Mariella Frostrup, BBC Radio 4 presenter; Sue Ward Davies, travel director of ELLE and Jane Knight, travel editor of The Times.

The Family Traveller Awards 2017 were supported by three great family friendly brands, AVIS, The Malta Tourism Authority and Kodak Pixpro. We can’t wait to see what next year’s awards will bring!

2017’s winners and runners up

Best Family Ferry Operator

WINNER: Wightlink
Runner up: Brittany Ferries

 

Best Family Cruise Line

WINNER: Royal Caribbean International
Runner up: Norwegian Cruise Line

 

Best Family Airline

WINNER: Emirates
Runner up: Virgin Atlantic

 

Best Family Festival

WINNER: Camp Bestival
Runner up: Elderflower Fields

 

Best Family Theme Park

WINNER: Universal Studios Florida
Runner up: Dreamland Margate

 

Best UK Day Out For Families

WINNER: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London: The Making of Harry Potter
Runner up: Natural History Museum

 

Best Tour Operator For Families

WINNER: The Turquoise Holiday Company
Runner up: Sovereign

 

Best UK City Break For Families

WINNER: Edinburgh 
Runner up: Plymouth 

 

Best Short Haul Destination For Families

WINNER: Greece
Runner up: Portugal

 

Best European Hotel For Families

WINNER: Sani Resort, Greece
Runner up: Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts, Portugal

 

Best UK Hotel For Families

WINNER: Luxury Family Hotels
Runner up: Center Parcs

 

Best Longhaul Hotel For Families

WINNER: Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives
Runner up: Lux* Resorts & Hotels, Indian Ocean

 

Best Kids’ Club

WINNER: Scott Dunn Explorers Kids Club & Crew at Costa Navarino, Greece
Runner up: Raposinhos Creche and Kids Club at Martinhal, Portugal

 

Best Activity Specialist For Families

WINNER: Sunsail
Runner up: Activities Abroad

 

Best Adventure Specialist For Families

WINNER: Intrepid Travel
Runner up: Explore

 

Best UK Region For Families

WINNER: Cornwall
Runner up: Dorset

 

Best Family Ski Operator

WINNER: Ski Famille
Runner up: Inghams

 

Best All-Inclusive Holiday For Families

WINNER: Club Med
Runner up: Hillside Beach Club, Turkey

 

Best Long-Haul Destination For Families

WINNER: Sri Lanka
Runner up: Dubai

 

Best Holiday Rental For Families

WINNER: Ready Camp
Runner up: Tredethick Farm Cottages

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