The great and the good of online travel gathered in London yesterday for the 10th annual TravelMole Web Awards.
The awards, which have become a key event in the travel industry calendar, celebrate the online achievements of travel and tourism companies.
This year they were held at Urban Meadow, the new restaurant at the Doubletree by Hilton, London Hyde Park, followed by an after party at Zebrano’s in Greek Street.
TravelMole’s Graham McKenzie said over the last 10 years the relaxed and fun awards event has won the support of the industry, largely thanks to the independent judging.
On this year’s panel were Clement Wong, founder & CEO of ByMyGuest.travel, strategist and etourism specialist professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Travel2 MD Andy Freeth, Martin Eade, co-founder of Vibe Software, Travelport UK & Ireland MD Simon Ferguson, and Gill Phipps, head of sixth form college Travel and Tourism department.
"We have done little to the overall format over the years, which is to ensure strictly independent and above board judging in order that truly the best sites are rewarded for their endeavours, rather than what they spend with us," said McKenzie.
"We also wanted to hold an event that is informal, relaxed, enjoyable and rewarding, allowing guests to meet new people in conditions that are conducive to networking. I believe we have achieved our goals and the awards are now a hugely popular event."
He said the awards are also more affordable than others in the industry.
"For the price of a table at many other events we can offer sponsorship opportunities as well as attendance. This may seem commercially naive, but we never set out to be the same as everybody else. Roll on the next 10 years."
So, without further adieu, here are this year’s winners:
Best Accommodation Site www.i-escape.com
Best Airline Site ba.com
Best Car Hire Site www.europcar.co.uk
Best Cruise/Ferry Site www.pocruises.com
Best Rail Operator Site www.railbookers.com
Best Responsible Tourism Site www.responsibletravel.com
Best Sports Travel & Tourism Site www.neilson.co.uk
Best Tour Operator Site www.azoreschoice.com
Best Tourist Board Site www.yorkshire.com
Best Travel Agent Site www.backpackerconcierge.com
Best Travel Blog www.gadventures.co.uk/blog/
Best Travel Directory www.travelzoo.com/uk/
Best Travel Recruitment Site www.jaynepeirce.co.uk
Best Use of Social Media fb.com/gadventures
Holiday Miscellaneous www.tripadvisor.co.uk
