Irish Travel Industry Awards 2017 Finalists Announced
The shortlist for the Irish Travel Industry Awards 2017 was released today. The winners will be announced and their awards presented as part of the Irish Travel Industry Awards on Thursday 26th January at the Round Room in the Mansion House, Dublin. Every year the prestigious awards gala aims to celebrate the hard working and skillful travel professionals who deliver international travel services to leisure and business customers travelling from Ireland.
The Irish Travel Industry Awards are an initiative of the Irish Travel Agents Association, in association with Amadeus. The Awards are sponsored by Aer Lingus, Cork Airport, Dublin Airport, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Hertz, Independent News & Media, PortAventura World, Riviera Travel, Shannon Airport, The Travel Corporation and Turkish Airlines. This year’s Master of Ceremonies is radio and TV presenter, Miriam O’Callaghan.
Speaking about the member awards, Cormac Meehan, President of the ITAA, said “The Irish Travel Industry Awards celebrate excellence among travel professionals within the Irish travel and tourism sector. 2016 has been a very successful year for the Irish travel trade and this is down to the talented individuals working in our industry.”
He continued “I would like to congratulate each of our very deserving nominees, to be nominated for an award is, in itself, a wonderful achievement, and I wish them the best of luck on awards night.”
Speaking about the supplier awards, Pat Dawson, CEO of the ITAA said, “The Irish Travel Industry Supplier Awards recognise the excellence among service providers in the Irish travel industry and celebrate the important relationship between travel agents and their suppliers. I congratulate all the suppliers who have been nominated – this prestigious awards ceremony is an opportunity for them to boost their profile and reputation within the industry.”
The annual event is designed to showcase excellence within the industry and the difficult job of judging the Member Award Winners falls to an independent panel of judges, chaired by Tom Lonergan.
For more information on the awards event please see www.irishtravelindustryawards.com
Irish Travel Industry Awards 2017 ITAA Member Finalists are:
Best ITAA Leisure Travel Professional – Sponsored By: PortAventura World
- Rachel Donnelly – Grenham Travel
- Gemma Duffy – Hannon Travel Services
- Georgina Kelly – The Travel Broker
- Michelle McDonagh – Travalue by Navan Travel
- Sandra Mooney – Cassidy Travel
Best ITAA Corporate Travel Professional – Sponsored By: PortAventura World
- Regina Curran – HRG Ireland
- Louise Dunne/Karen Ray – The Travel Broker
- Fiona Egan – Grogan Travel Worldchoice
- Tara Fitzgibbon – Club Travel HRG
- Niamh Gleeson – FCM Travel Solutions
- Donna McGann – Hannon Travel Services
Most Innovative ITAA Member Marketing Campaign – Sponsored By: PortAventura World
- com
- Club Travel
- Dawson Travel / Travel Cheaper
- Shandon Travel
- Tour America
- Travalue by Navan Travel
- Travel Escapes
Best ITAA Corporate Travel Agency – Sponsored By: Amadeus
- Atlas Travel
- Carlson Wagonlit
- Club Travel HRG
- Corporate Travel Management
- FCm Travel Solutions
- Hannon Travel Services
ITAA Travel Agency of the Year (under 10 employees) – Sponsored By: Amadeus
- Corrib Travel
- Grenham Travel
- Grogan Travel Worldchoice
- Hannon Travel Services
- The Travel Broker
- Travalue by Navan Travel
ITAA Travel Agency of the Year (over 10 employees) – Sponsored By: Amadeus
- Best4Travel
- Cassidy Travel
- ClickandGo
- Corporate Travel Management
- Shandon Travel
- Tour America
Irish Travel Industry Awards 2017 ITAA Supplier Finalists Are:
Air Travel Category – Sponsored By: Dublin Airport
Best Airline to Europe
- Aer Lingus
- KLM
- Ryanair
- SAS
- Turkish Airlines
Best Business Class Airline to Europe
- British Airways
- KLM
- Lufthansa
- SAS
- Turkish Airlines
Best Airline to North America
- Aer Lingus
- American Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- United Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
Best Long Haul Airline
- British Airways
- Emirates
- Etihad Airways
- Turkish Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
Tour Operator Category – Sponsored By: Hertz
Best European Sun Tour Operator
- Classic Collection
- Concorde Travel
- Falcon Holidays
- Sunway
- Topflight
Best Escorted Tour Operator
- G Adventures
- Insight Vacations
- Riviera Travel
- Sunway
- Wendy Wu
Best Specialist Tour Operator
- Classic Resorts
- If Only
- Sunway
- Travel Focus
- Wendy Wu
Best Ski Tour Operator
- Club Med
- Crystal Ski
- Highlife
- Topflight
Best Long Haul Operator
- Classic Resorts
- If Only
- Sunway
- Topflight
- Travel Focus
Cruise & Ferry Category – Sponsored By: Turkish Airlines
Best General Cruise Company
- Celebrity Cruises
- Fred Olsen Cruise Company
- MSC Cruises
- Norwegian Cruise Line
- Royal Caribbean International
Best Ultra Luxury Cruise Company
- Azamara Club Cruises
- Celebrity Cruises
- Silversea Cruises
Best Specialist Cruise Company (including River)
- Hurtigruten
- Riviera Travel
- Silversea Cruises
- Uniworld River Cruises
Best Ferry Company
- Brittany Ferries
- Doolan 2 Aran Ferries
- Irish Ferries
- Stena Line
Agency Services Provider Category – Sponsored by: Riviera Travel
Best Technology Provider
- Amadeus
- Bookabed
- Proactive Labs
- Travelport
- Zendesk
Best Car Hire Company
- Affordable Car Hire
- Alamo
- Flexible Car Hire
- Hertz
- Your Car Hire
Best Travel Insurance Provider
- Accident & General
- AXA Insurance
- Blue Insurance
- Viasure
- Worldwide Insurance
Best Tourist Board
- Failte Ireland
- Las Vegas
- Portuguese Tourist Board
- South African Tourism
- Spanish Tourist Board
Best Supplier Support Team
- Arrow Tours
- Bookabed
- MSC Cruises
- Sunway
- Travelport
Best Accommodation-Only Provider
- Arrow Tours
- Bedsonline
- Bookabed
- Globe Hotels
- Hotelbeds
Best Supplier Representative
- Rebecca Kelly – MSC Cruises
- Thomas McNally – Bedsonline
- Erica Oglesby – MSC Cruises
- Lee Osborne – Bookabed
- Martin Penrose – If Only
Destinations Category – Sponsored By: Aer Lingus
Best Worldwide City Destination
- Boston
- Dubai
- Hong Kong
- Las Vegas
- New York
Best European City Destination
- Barcelona
- Krakow
- Lisbon
- Madrid
- Rome
Best Ski Destination
- Andorra
- Austria
- France
- Italy
- Switzerland
Best Summer Sun Destination
- Italy
- Greece
- Portugal
- Spain
- Turkey
Best Winter Sun Destination
- Dubai
- Gran Canaria
- Lanzarote
- Morocco
- Tenerife
Best Worldwide Theme Park
- Disneyland Paris
- PortAventura
- Tayto Park
- Universal Orlando Resort
- Walt Disney World Resort
Best Worldwide Hotel Chain
- Hilton
- Marriott
- Melia
- Radisson Blu
- RIU Hotels & Resorts
