Atas members shine at the Globes

Six members of the Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers were victorious at Travel Weekly’s prestigious Globe Travel Awards ceremony.

More than 1,200 guests attended the annual event, which honours the best suppliers in the industry as voted by travel agents.

It took place last night (January 17) at Grosvenor House in London, with entertainer John Barrowman as the celebrity host.

Atas members were also prominent among the supporters and sponsors of the glittering event.

Cosmos sponsored the host, John Barrowman, while Kuoni sponsored singer Peter Andre, who performed and mingled with guests.

Scenic sponsored the competition, while Newmarket sponsored the Photo Booth, and G Adventures was the headline sponsor for the long-haul category.

Party-goers were kept refreshed, as APT sponsored the after-party treats, with a pick-and-mix sweets stand, while Saga sponsored an ice-cream trolley and Wendy Wu sponsored the drinks reception.

The Atas winners were:

Best Rail Company – Great Rail Journeys

Lindsay Dixon, head of trade sales, said: “It’s fantastic to win, we’re delighted. It shows we mean something to agents. The trade are very important to us and it’s so good to be recognised for the work we do with them. We’ve got a fantastic product, including more than 220 different itineraries.”

Best Adventure Operator – G Adventures

Rachel Coffey, director of sales UK and Ireland, said: “This is the second year in a row that we’ve won this. We’re thrilled because it’s recognition from travel agents, and we wouldn’t be who we are without them. We’ve got one of the biggest travel teams out on the road and we continue to do innovative things in our marketing, because we’ve listened very carefully to our travel agents and what they want.”

Best Premium Touring Company – Insight Vacations

Greta Stonestreet, sales manager, said: “We’re absolutely over the moon. This is the sixth year we’ve won this award now and it means so much to us because it’s voted for by agents. We consistently deliver on what we promise, not just with the product but the way we look after agents.”

Best Luxury Operator – Kuoni

Brad Bennetts, national sales manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to win in the face of stiff competition. It really underlines the value Kuoni brings to travel agents and the trust they have in a respected brand. We have been working hard to raise Kuoni to a more premium level. This award underlines we are in that space.”

Best Mainstream Touring Company – Titan

Managing director Andy Squirrell said: “To get a Globe award is really special for us, it means so much to the company. It tells us we are doing something right and that’s really important.”

Best Long-Haul Specialist Operator – Wendy Wu Tours

John Warr, global sales director, said: “We’ve won this award eight years on the trot now and we’re absolutely delighted to have won it again. Thank you to all our agents, we promise to keep delivering to our customers. We’ve aimed to be very visible with our retail agents this year and have managed to get exclusive offers for agents and customers.”