Family Traveller is delighted to reveal the top family-friendly travel operators, destinations, attractions and accommodation in the fourth annual Family Traveller Awards.In a buzzing awards ceremony on Tuesday 27th November 2018, 300 guests celebrated as celebrity hosts Ronan Keating and Charlotte Hawkins presented the industry’s finest 20 family travel companies with the prestigious Family Traveller Awards trophy.This year, a record 54,000 of the general public voted for their favourite family-friendly travel operators, destinations, attractions and accommodation.
The public vote was joined by a prestigious judging panel including Jane Anderson, editorial director of Family Traveller; Mariella Frostrup, BBC Radio 4 presenter; Susan Ward Davies, travel and lifestyle director of ELLE, Jane Knight, travel editor of The Times and TV and radio presenter and influencer, Katy Hill.Together the judges and the public voted on every element of a family trip from the transport to the tour operator and from the accommodation to the kids’ club. The results clearly show that parents are looking for active and culturally enriching holidays
Editorial Director Jane Anderson says: “The response to our awards this year has been overwhelming, showing the huge interest in family travel. The judges and public vote went for destinations and companies that offer something above and beyond for families, with a strong emphasis on experiential, bonding travel. I’m so pleased to recognise Chitra Stern, creator of Martinhal as the winner of our first Best Contribution to Family Travel award. She is a true family travel pioneer. Congratulations to all our nominees and winners.”
CEO and founder of Family Traveller Andrew Dent says: “It was an absolute pleasure to host our valued travel industry partners and celebrate the best achievements in Family Travel at our fourth annual awards which grow in stature year on year. The entire industry has embraced the importance of the lucrative family travel sector and to that end have created incredible facilities and initiatives to inspire and entertain all ages. The creative focus that all of our short-listed companies and winners have dedicated to the modern-day family traveller is astounding and consequently made our judges’ decisions an especially hard task this year.”
The full list of winners are:
1. Best Family Airline
· WINNER: Qatar Airways
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: JET2
2. Best Family Cruise Line
· WINNER: Norwegian Cruise Line
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Royal Caribbean
3. Best Family Ferry Operator
· WINNER: Brittany Ferries
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Wightlink
4. Best Family Festival (Global)
· WINNER: Edinburgh Fringe Festival
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Camp Bestival
5. Best Family Theme Park (lobal)
· WINNER: Alton Towers, Staffordshire
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Dubai Parks & Resorts
6. Best UK Hotel for Families
· WINNER: Watergate Bay Hotel, Cornwall
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Gleneagles, Scotland
7. Best Short-Haul Hotel for Families
· WINNER: Sani Resort, Greece
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Peligoni Club, Greece
8. Best Long-haul Hotel for Families
· WINNER: Carlisle Bay, Antigua
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort and Spa, Malaysia
9. Best All-Inclusive Hotel for Families
· WINNER: Beaches Resorts, Caribbean
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Suite Hotel Atlantis, Fuerteventura Resort Canary Islands
10. Best Kids’ Club
· WINNER: Marco Polo Kids Club at Sun Gardens, Dubrovnik, Croatia
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: KIKOLAND, Princesa Yaiza, Lanzarote
11. Best Villa Operator for Families
· WINNER: Oliver’s Travels
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Villa Plus
12. Best Holiday Rental for Families (private providers)
· WINNER: Airbnb
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Tresco Estate
13. Best Family Ski Operator
· WINNER: Peak Retreats
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Powder Byrne
14. Best Adventure Specialist for Families
· WINNER: Activities Abroad (The Artisan Travel Company)
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Families Worldwide
15. Best Luxury Tour Operator for Families
· WINNER: KUONI
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Elegant Resorts
16. Best UK Day Out for Families
· WINNER: National Trust
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Longleat, Wiltshire
17. Best City Break for Families
· WINNER: Amsterdam
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: New York City
18. Best Short-Haul Destination for Families (region, state or country)
· WINNER: Cornwall
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: Menorca
19. Best Long-Haul Destination for Families (region, state or country)
· WINNER: Florida
· HIGHLY COMMENDED: South Africa
20. Special Award for Best Contribution to Family Travel
· Chitra Stern of Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts