Family Traveller Awards 2015 Winners Announced

Family Traveller Awards 2015 winners announced

Family Traveller magazine and familytraveller.com, the UK's first and only media business dedicated to family holidays, last night announced the winners for its inaugural Family Traveller Awards 2015, in association with Family and Friends Railcard and Efteling Theme Park, at a ceremony hosted at The View from The Shard.

Fronted by BAFTA award winning presenter Katy Hill, the awards recognised the very best in family travel including mould-breaking operators, providers and destinations from the UK and across the world.

Taking place at London's highest viewing platform at the top of the tallest building in Western Europe, The View from The Shard, the awards revealed the results of the public and panel votes which saw over 26,000 recorded across the 18 categories.

The panel was made up of Family Traveller Columnists Simon Reeve and Mariella Frostrup, Family Traveller Editor Jane Anderson, The Times Travel Editor Jane Knight and Elle's Travel and Lifestyle Director Sue Ward Davies.

Once the public and reader votes were cast (with one overall “vote” being awarded to most nominated business or place in each category), it was down to the expert panel to add their votes to the mix, with each of the five judges being given an additional vote. These scores were then tallied to create the final results.

The 18 award winners are:

• Best UK Day Out for Families: Warwick Castle
• Best Family Festival: Camp Bestival
• Awesome for Families Award: Trunki
• Best Family Ferry Operator: Brittany Ferries
• Best Family Cruise Line: P&O Cruises
• Best Family Airline: Virgin Atlantic
• Best Family Eco Holiday: Reef and Rainforest Tours
• Best Family Educational Holiday: Wilderness Safaris
• Best Family Ski Operator: Peak Retreats
• Best Family Tour Operator: Family Adventure Company
• Best UK Accommodation for Families: Bedruthan Steps Hotel, Cornwall
• Best Short-Haul Accommodation for Families: Martinhal, Algarve
• Best Long-Haul Accommodation for Families: Soneva Fushi, Maldives
• Best European City Break for Families: Rome
• Best City Break for Families – Outside of Europe: New York City
• Best Destination for Families – Domestic: Isles Of Scilly
• Best Destination for Families – Short Haul: Ibiza
• Best Destination for Families – Long Haul: Mauritius

The full winners list including the highly commended and shortlisted companies is available to view here:www.familytravellerawards.com/winners

Andrew Dent, Publisher of Family Traveller magazine, said: “We are thrilled with the response to our inaugural awards, both from the travel business and from the public. Over 2,200 family travel companies and brands were nominated in June and over 26,000 public votes were then made, showing just how engaged our readers are and how passionate people are about family holidays.

“The response emphasises the importance of the family travel sector and we hope that the winners, and those highly commended, are as proud of their awards as we are to have named them at our first ever Family Traveller Awards.”

ENDS

Photographs of the event, our presenter Katy Hill and all of the winners can be downloaded fromhttp://paigebirniephotography.zenfolio.com/p404745557 using password Shard 2015.

For more information about the awards, or to request an interview, contact:

Belinda Hallworth. belinda.hallworth@flagshipconsulting.co.uk. 020 7680 7114

Sophy Norris. sophy.norris@flagshipconsulting.co.uk. 01392 860620

Archie Pottinger. archie.pottinger@flagshipconsulting.co.uk. 020 7680 7113