NEWS Special Awards: Ocean Holidays, easyJet holidays and G Adventures triumph Winners honoured in special categories Harry Hastings


(third left) with Gary


Lewis (fourth left), The Travel


Network Group


TRAVEL FOR ALL AWARD O


cean Holidays scooped the Travel for All Award for the second year running.


The category, introduced last year


and sponsored by The Travel Network Group, honours companies selling through trade channels which have excelled in ensuring their product is inclusive and accessible to all customers. Judges noted progress made by


all three shortlisted companies but were particularly impressed by the ongoing focus Ocean Holidays has placed on this area of its business. Co-founder Harry Hastings


said he felt “very humbled” and that accessibility was now “front and centre of everything we do”.


He cited two “big wins” over


the last year, saying Ocean Holidays had introduced a post-booking concierge service with accessibility coordinators and invested in its CRM technology to make sure disabled clients are treated the same regardless of how they book. Hastings urged the trade to “be


braver” and speak to clients about their needs, both visible and invisible, especially as one in five people in the UK has some sort of disability. “When you ask somebody about


their needs, particularly parties with multiple generations, we have found the likelihood of booking increases about fourfold,” he said. “Commercially it makes sense, and it is the right thing to do.”


EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD


E T G Adventures’ Brian Young (with


trophy) and Leah Whitfield (fifth right), with GNTO’s Eleni Skarveli (third right)


16 23 JANUARY 2025


asyJet holidays was presented with the Employer of the Year Award, with judges


crediting the company for creating a “truly inclusive organisation” over the past 12 months. The operator, which was also


hailed for ensuring it had a “fully supported and diverse workforce”, was recognised for introducing a number of initiatives with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Finance director Michelle


Heywood said: “It’s amazing to win this. I’m so proud. This is about everybody in the organisation – everybody has contributed to this. “Our people underpin


SUSTAINABLE FUTURE AWARD


he Sustainable Future Award was won by G Adventures, selected from among 20 entrants.


The adventure holidays specialist


was praised by judges for its focus on local community engagement, its retention of benefits within destinations and its “pragmatic approach” to overtourism. Leah Whitfield, global


communications lead, said: “We’ve had sustainability at the heart of what


Michelle Heywood (holding trophy) and colleagues, with Nikki Spoor (fifth left), White Hart Associates


everything we do. It’s something we feel passionate about and it’s an area we don’t want to underinvest in.” Asked what initiatives the


company had introduced recently, she said: “We’ve really focused on our family-friendly policies. “We wanted to have better


parental policies; we’ve gained accreditation as a menopause- friendly employer; and we’ve invested in private healthcare for all our employees. “We’ve also just launched a


new graduate scheme and we have six colleague networks to ensure everybody has a community where they can feel part of something.” Kuoni was highly commended in


this category, which was sponsored by White Hart Associates.


we do at G Adventures from day one. So, this award means everything.” Asked about G Adventures’ latest


initiatives to promote biodiversity in destinations, she said: “We’re always looking at new ways to place local communities at the heart of solutions to address the climate crisis.” Hurtigruten and Sani Resort were


both commended by judges for the progress they have made in the cruise and accommodation sectors. The award was sponsored


by the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO).


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURES: Steve Dunlop


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