Contribution to Travel Award

Sponsored by Iberostar

Shona Thorne, founder and managing director, Thorne Travel

This special award, sponsored by Iberostar, goes to a member of the travel agency community who has consistently gone above and beyond to spearhead not only the growth of their own business but the recognition of the travel agent’s vital role in the industry.

In previous years, Barrhead Travel president Jacqueline Dobson, The Travel Village Group chief Phil Nuttall and, in 2023, Althams Travel managing director Sandra McAllister have all been recipients.

In 2024, TTG and Iberostar wanted to recognise Thorne Travel managing director Shona Thorne for, among many other things, her focus on inspiring travel’s next generation and how she clearly believes this is paramount to the way she does business. Staff at her Ayrshire-based agency, which now boasts three stores across south-west Scotland, have moved through the ranks to firmly cement their careers in travel, with some going from junior team members to company directors.

Thorne Travel, founded in 2009, has a history of trailblazing. The agency went – perhaps unintentionally – viral in 2014 after its video ad topped a million views on YouTube, while outside of travel, Shona and the team launched Thorne Travel’s own not-for-profit initiative, All About The Magic, in 2019 to help local underprivileged families create cherished memories. The agency is a true pillar of its community, while Shona herself is a force of nature in an industry that never stops moving with the times.