Voting kicks off for British Travel Awards

Consumer voting has now opened in the 2019 British Travel Awards (BTA), with nominated companies having until September 30 to lobby consumers for votes.

BTA consumer media partner Reach PLC, which includes the Daily & Sunday Mirror and Express print and online publications and numerous regional papers, will start their campaign to promote voting on Saturday July 6, with advertisements and editorial running throughout the summer.

Nominated companies will have received a marketing pack, with tools to help their lobbying campaigns.

Included in the pack is a personalised online direct voting ‘Vote for Us’ pop-up window option, which links voters straight through to the nominated company’s category on the voting form, which can be used on emails, direct from a website or via social media channels.

BTA CEO Lorraine Barnes Burton said: "Nominated companies cannot afford to be complacent. They must plan and get their lobbying campaigns going without delay, encouraging all their happy customers to vote.

"Throughout the voting period nominees can proudly display the ‘nominated for a 2019 BTA’ logo across all platforms and on printed collateral."

Consumers are encouraged to vote by entry into a prize draw with the chance to win amazing holiday prizes and travel companies who have provided prizes will be receiving additional exposure via BTA media partners and the BTA website and voting form.

Prizes this year, so far valued at more than £30,000, include a Viking River Cruise on the Rhine; a seven-day Ionian & Agean Island villa holiday for two on Kefalonia and a Newmarket Holidays’ Dubrovnik, Montenegro & the Dalmatian Coast trip.

In 2018, 334,522 leisure travellers cast their votes between July and September, making the BTAs the largest consumer voted award programme in the UK.

Ms Barnes Burton added: "The BTAs go from strength to strength, growing each year because our core values of integrity, transparency and credibility have made them the most valued awards programme with the all-important voting consumers, who recognise and respect the winners’ logo.

"Our continued development of rigorous vote collation procedures is enhanced year on year via our partnership with awards verification partners and scrutineers, leading global business practitioners, Deloitte."

The event takes place in London in November.

Image by kai kalhh from Pixabay