Five travel industry suppliers each won two of the 25 Irish Travel Trade Awards 2013 presented at the Irish Travel Industry Christmas Party at the DoubleTree by Hilton Dublin – Burlington Road, on Wednesday night – and, for the first time, a delighted Travelport won the coveted ‘Best Agent-Friendly Supplier’ overall award.
Every travel agent in Ireland, north and south, was entitled to vote for their top 25 suppliers and their votes were submitted directly to, and then independently collated and audited by international accounts and consultants Grant Thornton.
Ronan Flood, Managing Editor of ‘Irish Travel Trade News’, told those attending: “ITTN has been serving the Irish travel industry since 1964 – so we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary next year! Our website, ittn.ie, received 270,500 visits a year in 2013, an average of more than 22,500 a month, and the record for any one month was just under 27,000 hits. These figures represent a 40% increase in hits over 2012. This is why the ITTN website and its associated products should be at the top of every travel marketing manager’s schedule!
“Twenty-two years ago we introduced what have long since become established as the Irish travel industry’s very own ‘Oscars’ – the Irish Travel Trade Awards. These awards are determined by the professional travel agents of Ireland, North and South, and have therefore always been a much sought after accolade by travel industry suppliers. It is worth emphasising that the Irish Travel Trade Awards have always been – and continue to be – the ONLY travel industry awards in Ireland that are audited by an international accountancy and consultancy practice, namely Grant Thornton.
“Irish Travel Trade News has some exciting new initiatives for 2014 and we will be taking full advantage of the buds of hope that have already begun to appear in the Irish economy and in the Irish travel industry in particular. Two of the new award categories introduced this year – Best Luxury Rail Journey and Best River Cruise Company – are indicative of the trend among Irish holidaymakers to seek not only ever greater value for money but also high-quality products.”
2013 Irish Travel Trade Awards – All the Winners
Best Europe Destination: Spain
Best Americas Destination: Florida
Best Middle East / Africa Destination: Dubai
Best Asia / Pacific Destination: Thailand
Best Sun Destination: Lanzarote
Best Sun Holiday Tour Operator: Sunway
Best Ski Tour Operator: Topflight
Best Niche Tour Operator: One Stop Touring Shop
Best Long Haul Tour Operator: Sunway
Best Airline to Europe: Aer Lingus
Best Airline to North America: United
Best Long Haul Airline: Etihad Airways
Best Business Class Airline: Etihad Airways
Best Ferry Company: Irish Ferries
Best Cruise Company (3/4 Star): MSC Cruises
Best Cruise Company (5/6 Star): Uniworld
Best River Cruise Company: Uniworld
Best Car Rental Company: Hertz
Best Luxury Rail Journey: Orient Express
Best National Tourist Office: Spain
Best Accommodation Provider: BookaBed
Best Travel Technology Provider: Amadeus
Best Dynamic Packaging System: BookaBed
Best Travel Insurance Company: Blue Insurances
Best Agent Friendly Supplier: Travelport
