Finalists Announced for Irish Travel Industry Awards in association with TTC

Dublin, 10^th January 2020   The finalists for the Irish Travel Industry Awards in association with The Travel Corporation (TTC) have been released today. The winners will be announced and presented with their awards at a ceremony in the historic Round Room of the Mansion House, Dublin on Thursday 23^rd January.  Over 500 travel professionals will attend the awards, which will welcome well-known TV and Radio broadcaster, Bryan Dobson as MC for the night.

The Irish Travel Industry Awards, celebrating their tenth anniversary in 2020, are the leading awards for suppliers and agents in the travel industry in Ireland. This is also a special year for the Irish Travel Agents Association, as they celebrate their 50^th Anniversary. The Irish Travel Industry awards are an initiative of the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA), in association with TTC and supported by Travel Centres and Worldchoice.

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 Bill Smith.

Speaking about the awards, John Spollen, President of the ITAA, said “This year is a very special year for the Irish Travel Industry Awards, as we celebrate our 10^th anniversary. This year also marks the 50^th anniversary of the Irish Travel Agents’ Association. These awards celebrate excellence among travel industry professionals and providers in Ireland and offer suppliers and ITAA members the opportunity to boost their profile and reputation within the industry. I would like to congratulate each and every one 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.”

He added, “We are thrilled to welcome TTC as this year’s title sponsor and are looking forward to working with them on what will be the biggest and best Travel Industry Awards night yet.”

The event is organised on behalf of the ITAA by Business Exhibitions Limited and sponsored by TTC. Award categories are sponsored by Aer Lingus, American Airlines, British Airways, Cork Airport, Dublin Airport, German National Tourist Office, Hertz, Ireland West Airport Knock, Princess Cruises and Riveria Travel.  The event is also sponsored by AM Resorts, Emirates, Independent News & Media, Shannon Airport and The Travel Corporation.

For more information on the awards event please see www.irishtravelindustryawards.com

Irish Travel Industry Awards 2020 ITAA Member Finalists will be announced on the night.

Irish Travel Industry Awards 2020 ITAA Supplier Finalists Are:

AIR TRAVEL CATEGORY – SPONSORED BY DUBLIN AIRPORT

BEST VALUE AIRLINE FROM IRELAND TO EUROPE

• Aer Lingus
• Flybe
• Lufthansa
• Ryanair
• Vueling

BEST FULL SERVICE AIRLINE TO EUROPE

• Air France
• British Airways
• Lufthansa
• SAS
• Turkish Airlines

BEST AIRLINE DIRECT FROM IRELAND TO NORTH AMERICA

• Aer Lingus
• Air Canada
• American Airlines
• Delta Airlines
• United Airlines

BEST LONG HAUL AIRLINE (WITH A SERVICE ORIGINATING IN IRELAND)

• Aer Lingus
• Air Canada
• Emirates
• Etihad Airways
• Turkish Airlines

TOUR OPERATOR CATEGORY – SPONSORED BY HERTZ

BEST EUROPEAN SUN TOUR OPERATOR

• Classic Collection
• Concorde Travel
• Croatia Tours
• Sunway
• TUI

BEST ESCORTED TOUR OPERATOR

• Discover Travel
• G Adventures
• Insight Vacations
• Riviera Travel
• Wendy Wu Tours

BEST SPECIALIST OR LUXURY TOUR OPERATOR

• Caribtours
• Classic Resorts
• G Adventures
• Sunway
• Travel Focus

BEST LONG HAUL TOUR OPERATOR

• Classic Resorts
• Intrepid Travel
• Sunway
• Travel Focus
• Wendy Wu Tours

CRUISE & FERRY CATEGORY – SPONSORED BY GERMAN NATIONAL TOURIST OFFICE

BEST MAIN STREAM CRUISE COMPANY

• JMG Cruises
• Marella Cruises
• MSC Cruises
• Norwegian Cruise Line
• Royal Caribbean International

BEST PREMIUM CRUISE COMPANY

• Azamara Cruises
• Celebrity Cruises
• Cunard Cruises
• Oceania Cruises
• Princess Cruises

BEST ULTRA LUXURY CRUISE COMPANY

• Azamara Cruises
• Crystal Cruises
• Regent Cruises
• Seabourn Cruises
• Silversea Cruises

BEST RIVER CRUISE COMPANY

• AMA Waterways
• CrosiEurope
• Riviera Travel
• Uniworld River Cruises
• Viking River Cruises

BEST FERRY COMPANY

• Brittany Ferries
• Irish Ferries
• P & O Ferries
• Stena Line

AGENCY SERVICES PROVIDER CATEGORY – SPONSORED BY RIVIERA TRAVEL

BEST TECHNOLOGY PROVIDER

• Amadeus
• Dolphin Dynamics
• Proactive Labs
• Sabre
• Travelport

BEST CAR HIRE COMPANY

• Affordable Car Hire
• Alamo Car Hire
• Flexible Autos
• Hertz
• Your Car Hire

BEST TRAVEL INSURANCE PROVIDER

• Accident & General
• AXA Insurance
• Blue Insurance
• Worldwide Insurance

BEST TOURIST BOARD

• Las Vegas
• New York
• Portuguese Tourist Board
• Spanish Tourist Board
• South African Tourist Board

BEST ACCOMMODATION ONLY PROVIDER

• Arrow Tours
• Bookabed
• Expedia
• Innstant Travel
• Stuba

TRADE SUPPORT TEAM CATEGORY – SPONSORED BY IRELAND WEST AIRPORT

BEST TRADE SUPPORT TEAM – AIRLINE

• Aer Lingus
• British Airways
• Emirates
• Turkish Airlines
• United Airlines

BEST TRADE SUPPORT TEAM – CRUISE/RIVER CRUISE

• MSC Cruises
• Princess Cruises
• Riviera Travel
• Royal Caribbean International
• The Travel Corporation

BEST TRADE SUPPORT TEAM – TECHNOLOGY

• Amadeus
• Proactive Labs
• Sabre
• Travelport

BEST TRADE SUPPORT TEAM – TOUR OPERATORS/BEDBANK

• Arrow Tours
• Bookabed
• Globe Hotels
• Sunway
• Topflight

DESTINATIONS CATEGORY – SPONSORED BY BRITISH AIRWAYS & AMERICAN AIRLINES

BEST CITY DESTINATION

• Barcelona
• Istanbul
• Krakow
• Lisbon
• London

BEST SKI DESTINATION

• Andorra
• Austria
• Bulgaria
• France
• Italy

BEST SUMMER DESTINATION

• Algarve
• Greece
• Italy
• Orlando
• Spain & Canary Islands

BEST WINTER DESTINATION

• Dubai
• Gran Canaria
• Lanzarote
• New York
• Tenerife

BEST WORLDWIDE THEME PARK

• Disneyland Paris
• PortAventura
• SeaWorld Parks&Resorts
• Universal Orlando Resort
• Walt Disney World Resort

ENDS