Lights, Camera, Travel! The ITTN Irish Travel Trade Awards 2024 (#ITTNAwards24) have officially concluded! This glamorous evening celebrated the brightest stars of the travel industry with plenty of awards, surprises, and fantastic entertainment. Let’s take a look at all the incredible highlights & winners of the night.
The ITTN Irish Travel Trade Awards 2024 took place on Friday, 29th November, at the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road. Attendees were treated to an unforgettable evening filled with dazzling entertainment, from the performances of Crystal Dancers to an LED Dancer Show and the Spring Break Band. There was plenty of celebration and excitement as the industry’s finest gathered to honour excellence, innovation, and achievement in travel.
Opening Speeches & Exciting Raffle Announcement
The event kicked off with a warm welcome by ITTN’s Managing Director, Sharon Jordan, thanking attendees for “taking the time away from families, for making the effort to be here to represent yourself, your company and our industry” and wishing everyone a fabulous night.
Afterwards, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Voyages were introduced as this year’s Headline Sponsors at the ITTN Irish Travel Trade Awards, with two speeches from John Price (Virgin Atlantic) and Matt Lebbern (Virgin Voyages) discussing the Irish Trade and its positive impact on their growing success in the Irish market.
“We’re delighted to headline sponsor the 2024 ITTN Awards as we celebrate the incredible Irish trade. This year is monumental as it marks the first year of Virgin Voyages trading in the Irish market and our multi-award winning, kid-free cruises have already made waves with Irish Sailors and First Mates” – Matt Lebbern, Virgin Voyages.
“We are once again the headline sponsor at the ITTN Awards, along with our friends in Virgin Voyages, making this our third year running! This is a testament to our commitment to the Irish Travel trade and we can’t think of a better way to show our support than partnering with the wonderful team at ITTN to honour the incredible Irish travel trade at this event.” – John Price, Virgin Atlantic.
We were then passed on to Donegal’s own Eric Roberts, presenter and professional joke-teller, who was our MC for the night.
Afterwards, guests found a raffle surprise in their luggage tags—the very first prize of the night! The lucky winner of this special raffle, Lorraine Quinn will enjoy 8 nights aboard a Virgin Voyages cruise for two in a luxurious Sea Terrace cabin, with flights from London to Miami included!
To Our Sponsors & Presenters
Nights like the ITTN Travel Trade Awards 2024 don’t happen without support of everyone in attendance and of course our valued sponsors. ITTN would like to extend a massive thank you to all sponsors, starting with our joint headline sponsors Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Voyages who laid on a wonderful reception party for us all evening and continued to sponsor into the night.
Then we have our lead category sponsors of Aer Lingus, Visit Algarve, Spanish Tourism Office, Hertz, APT Travelmarvel and Visit Salou – thank you so much for your support.
And of course our hotly anticipated Travel Agency Category – where we received over 5,000 votes for individual agents across the country who’s sponsors are Blue Insurance, Azamara, Qatar Airways, Sunway Holidays, Emirates, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, Crystal Ski, TTC Tour Brands and Hurtigruten.
And last but not least our activation, wine and prize sponsors Virgin Voyages and Virgin Atlantic, Major Travel, APT Travelmarvel, Irish Ferries, Costa Del Sol, Jameson Whiskey, Malfy Gin and Bradley Airport. We appreciate all of your support!
To our presenters – it was a pleasure having you on stage, thank you to all who presented awards in the following categories:
- Destinations & Airport Category – presented by John Price and Matt Lebbern
- Airlines Category – presented by Michelle Ryan
- Tour Operators Category – presented by Paul Manning
- Transport, Accommodation & Insurance Category – presented by Natalia Bel Llop
- Ferry, River & Expedition Cruising Category – presented by Sara Guerreiro
- Ocean Cruising Category – presented by Jenny Rafter
- Sustainability & Culture Category – presented by Laura Pena
- Best Sun Agency – presented by Mary Denton
- Best Cruise Agency – presented by Carla Hines
- Best Ski Agency – presented by Martin Penrose
- Best Long-Haul Agency – presented by Vivienne Carey
- Best Luxury Agency – presented by James Carvetta
- Best Corporate Agency – presented by Federica Varisco
- Best Touring Agency – presented by Brian Hynes
- Best Overall Agency – presented by Jeanette Taylor
- Travel Consultant of the Year – presented by Peter Ryan
Supplier Awards – Celebrating Excellence
Of course, the night celebrated the industry’s finest, starting with the supplier awards – huge congratulations to the following winners!
Destinations & Airport Category (sponsored by Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Voyages):
- Best Irish/NI Airport: Dublin Airport
- Best European Destination: Portugal
- Best USA Destination: New York
- Best Worldwide Destination: Thailand
- Best Tourist Board: Spain Tourism Board
Airlines Category (Sponsored by Travel Marvel):
- Best Airline – Europe: Aer Lingus
- Best Airline Long-Haul: Emirates
- Best Airline – North America: Aer Lingus
- Best Business Class Airline: Emirates
Tour Operators Category (Sponsored by Hertz Ireland):
- Best Sun Tour Operator: Sunway
- Best Ski Operator: Crystal Ski
- Best Long-Haul Operator: Travel Focus
- Best Touring & Adventure Operator: Sunway Escorted Tours
Transport, Accommodation & Insurance Category (Sponsored by Visit Salou):
- Best Hotel Group: H10 Hotels
- Best Accommodation Provider: TBO Bookabed
- Best Car Rental Provider: Hertz Ireland
- Best Insurance Provider: Blue Insurance
Ferry, River & Expedition Cruising Category (Sponsored by Visit Algarve):
- Best Expedition Cruise: HX Hurtigruten Expeditions
- Best Mainstream River Cruise: APT Travelmarvel
- Best Luxury River Cruise: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
- Best Ferry Company: Irish Ferries
Ocean Cruising Category (Sponsored by Aer Lingus):
- Best Mainstream Ocean Cruise: MSC Cruises
- Best Family Ocean Cruise: Royal Caribbean
- Best Premium Ocean Cruise: Celebrity Cruises
- Best Luxury Ocean Cruise: Silversea Cruises
Sustainability & Culture Category (Sponsored by Spain Tourism Board):
- Leaders in Sustainability: The Travel Corporation
- Best Trade Representation/PR: ASM Ireland
- Supplier of the Year: Accident & General
Best Agency Awards – Honouring the Best in Business
The ITTN Awards also proudly spotlighted the best travel agencies in the industry, with the following winners –
- Best Sun Agency: KT Travel (sponsored by Sunway)
- Best Cruise Agency: Best4Travel (sponsored by Hurtigruten)
- Best Ski Agency: O’Hanrahan Travel (sponsored by Crystal Ski)
- Best Long-Haul Agency: Travel Counsellors Ireland (sponsored by Qatar)
- Best Luxury Agency: Platinum Travel (sponsored by Iberostar)
- Best Corporate Agency: Club Travel (sponsored by Emirates)
- Best Touring Agency: Fahy Travel (sponsored by TTC Ireland)
- Best Overall Agency: Cassidy Travel (sponsored by Blue Insurance)
- Travel Consultant of the Year: Sarah Brady of Barters Travel (sponsored by Azamara)
We extend our heartfelt congratulations and deepest gratitude to all the winners of this year’s Supplier & Agency Awards. Your unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and service in the travel industry is nothing short of inspiring. Each recognition reflects your hard work, passion, and dedication to enhancing the experiences of travellers worldwide.
As leaders in your respective fields, you set the gold standard for quality and professionalism, driving the industry forward. Thank you for your contributions—you are truly the cornerstone of the travel community’s success.
Additional Awards
Of course, we had some extra prizes to give out during the night, with categories such as Best Dressed & Best Social Post of the night, as well as some extra surprises for attendees.
Photographer of the Year
We would like to extend a big congratulations to Iunia Dimitrenco from The Travel Boutique for winning Photographer of the Year, sponsored by ITTN and Brand USA. Iunia’s breathtaking photo, “Eire’s Scenic Views,” perfectly captures the beauty of Ireland.
Style and Elegance – Best Dressed
This year’s Best Dressed Award, worth €400, went to one dazzling guest, Jean Cusack from Icon Travel, courtesy of Major Travel. Everyone looked stunning, but there could only be one winner. Maybe next year?!
Social Media Spotlight – Best Social Post
After combing through countless fabulous posts, the award for Best Social Post (sponsored by Irish Ferries) went to O’Hanrahan Travel! Congrats on snagging this title and a fantastic prize.
A Surprise Under the Seat!
A magical moment for one lucky attendee, Annette Hynes from Fahy Travel , —the surprise 7-night luxury river cruise prize, courtesy of APT Travelmarvel, was hidden right under her seat! Happy cruising to the Annette.
Wrapping Up an Unforgettable Night
The ITTN Awards 2024 are a night to remember! Winner, nominee, or just an attendee, you helped make the night spectacular – ITTN would like to thank everyone in attendance for the fabulous atmosphere we created together, and we extend our deepest gratitude to our Sponsors for their generous contributions!
Want more? Relive the magic by taking a look through the #ITTNAwards24 tag, and mark your calendars for next year’s event. See you at #ITTNAwards25!
