NEWS Special Awards: Ocean Florida, Travelsphere/Just You and Eurostar triumph Judges praise trio of worthy winners


Matt Rains (left) and George Hastings, both Ocean Holidays


Adam Kemp (with trophy) with Travelsphere and Just You colleagues


EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD


TRAVEL FOR ALL AWARD O


cean Florida won the Travel for All award at the Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards


for the third year in a row. The accolade was judged by a


panel that agreed the destination specialist “continued to lead from the front” in “excelling in ensuring its product is inclusive and accessible to all customers”. Jet2holidays was highly


commended in the category, with the judges highlighting the operator’s progress in this area. The award was sponsored by The


Travel Network Group, whose chief commercial officer Vim Vithaldas said on stage: “Reviewing the entries


reminded me how much positive change is happening in our industry. It is encouraging to see these businesses and organisations are committed to making travel accessible to all.” Speaking to Travel Weekly after


collecting the award, Ocean Florida managing director for trade sales Matt Rains said: “Winning this award today feels as good as the first and second times we won. “We have not taken this for


granted and we have continually improved the programme as we want to make it as easy as possible for customers and agents to book, so everyone can go on holiday.” Rains thanked agents for their


support and the judges for honouring the company for a third year running.


S E


Eurostar’s Stephen Roby and Darina Gregory


18 22 JANUARY 2026


ister brands Travelsphere and Just You won the Employer of the Year award, sponsored by


White Hart for the third year in a row, with judges saying the company “punches above its weight”. The quality of the submissions


was “astonishing”, said the judges, who had to look at “very fine margins” to decide the winner. The two G Touring operators


were said to have “taken the judges by surprise at what they have achieved in the last 12 months” as


SUSTAINABLE FUTURE AWARD


urostar triumphed in the Sustainable Future category at the Travel Weekly Globe Travel


Awards. The train operator was praised by


judges for its range of initiatives and commitment to science-based targets. The judges added that Eurostar’s


multi-modal partnerships were “potentially game-changing” and were also impressed by its dedication to collaboration to achieve its sustainability goals. Stephen Roby, Eurostar’s UK


leisure sales manager, said: “This is a huge achievement for us and we are


they succeeded last year’s winner easyJet holidays in this category. Adam Kemp, Travelsphere and


Just You managing director, said: “It’s amazing to be recognised for our business culture, which we spend a lot of time working on. “The team is very involved in


everything we do. They understand our strategic direction and we talk to them a lot about our results – I think that came across in our interview with the judges. “We live and breathe our


culture every day and I hope we were awarded this not just for one or two things, but for what we do day in, day out.”


so excited to win it. We are always sparking new connections and we’ve been busy opening new routes, so we’re making sustainable travel more accessible for everyone.” The award, which was sponsored


by Turespaña, would encourage Eurostar to keep strengthening its sustainability credentials, he added. “We saw how strong the shortlist


was this year, so it’s really special to come out on top,” said Roby. “Sustainability is in our DNA and


we are always searching for ways to be greener – and we work hard to do it. To be recognised for this award justifies all the work we do and will only serve to ensure we strive for more and to continue what we’re doing.”


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURES: Alex Maguire Photography


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