Agent categories

Luxury Travel Retail Business of the Year

Sponsored by Marriott International Luxury Brands

This award seeks to recognise a variety of UK-based agencies that may be larger-scale, hybrid-type luxury travel planning businesses, or multi-strand luxury agencies.

Potential applicants for this category could include high-end agencies with several shops in the UK; concierge companies or membership model agencies who operate with a team of travel advisors and have a central office; or completely office (not shop) based luxury-focused agencies with a team of travel advisors – your business might also be a combination of these elements. You must be focused on creating high-end trips for a range of clients, using a wide variety of supplier partners.

Please note, if your core business model revolves around running a team of home-based agents/ICs, you should enter one of the two luxury homeworking categories, depending on your size. If you have just one shop, you should enter the Luxury Travel Agency of the Year (sole store) category.

“As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are proud and thankful to be recognised. This will be celebrated with colleagues globally, and will further fuel our growth strategy.”

Alex Cheatle, CEO and founder, Ten Lifestyle Group, winner of Luxury Travel Retail Business of the Year 2024

Luxury Homeworking Business of the Year (Large)

Sponsored by Grecotel Hotels & Resorts

This category is for luxury homeworking businesses with more than 25 home-based travel agents/ICs and where premium and ultra-luxury travel makes up a high proportion of your business.

Please note this category is for entire agencies, not individual homeworkers. If you wish to be recognised as an individual luxury agent, you can enter Luxury Travel Designer of the Year.

Luxury Homeworking Business of the Year (Small)

Sponsored by Abercrombie & Kent Travel Group

This category is for luxury homeworking businesses with 25 or less home-based travel consultants, and where premium and ultra-luxury travel makes up a high proportion of your business.

Please note this category is for entire agencies, not individual homeworkers. If you wish to be recognised as an individual luxury agent, you can enter Luxury Travel Designer of the Year.

“We’re absolutely delighted, an still in disbelief! As a small, family-run business, our agents were over the moon. There’s no doubt this will continue to push us all to maintain our high levels of service and collaboration across the team."

Kathy Boate, CEO, Cartology Travel, winner of Luxury Homeworking Business of the Year (Small) 2024 

Luxury Travel Agency of the Year (sole store)

Sponsored by Celebrity Cruises

Entrants for this popular category must book predominantly higher-end travel, and have a high street presence/retail footprint in a location where customers can visit them/have a consultation in the shop.

If members of your team also wish to be recognised individually, they can enter Luxury Travel Designer of the Year.

Luxury Travel Designer of the Year

Sponsored by Pure Luxury

This category is for individual luxury travel designers from any kind of luxury agency or business – that might be a retail store, a homeworking enterprise, concierge company, or cruise specialist, for example.

You must be focused on high-end travel, and have been in this role for more than two years.

New Luxury Travel Designer of the Year

Sponsored by Explora Journeys

We’re looking for the newest stars of luxury travel, those professionals who are new to luxury travel design/travel advisor as a career. You could be from any kind of luxury agency – that could be a retail store, homeworking enterprise, or concierge company, for example.

You might have set up your own business; have re-entered the sector after time away and joined an existing luxury agency; come from another sector within travel (e.g. mainstream travel, hotel, cruise, operator); or be from completely outside travel.

You must be focused on high-end travel, and have been in this role for less than two years at the time of our awards launching. You will therefore have fully started your journey as a luxury travel designer after August 2022.

Luxury Travel Big Idea of the Year

This award is for luxury travel agencies only (rather than suppliers) and seeks to recognise an innovation, initiative or exciting campaign that has delivered impressive results.

Possible ideas might include an innovative marketing campaign, a customer initiative, a workplace project, a product launch, an innovative technology roll-out, or any other significant idea/project.

The “idea” must have been launched or implemented within the entry period for this category (August 2023-August 2024).