The Group Travel Awards 2017, organised by GTO magazine, were held in central London on Friday 2 June.
Here’s the list of winners and runners-up. For full details about the awards scheme, go to www.grouptravelawards.com
Best UK Destination for Groups
Winner: London
Runner Up: Isle of Wight
Bournemouth
Eastbourne
Kent
Liverpool
Manchester
York
Best Event for Groups
Winner: The Thursford Christmas Spectacular
Runner Up: The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
Bath Christmas Market
BBC Good Food Shows
RHS Hampton Court Flower Shows
Royal Ascot
The Royal International Air Tattoo, Fairford
Best Canal or Riverboat Operator for Groups
Winner: City Cruises, London
Runner Up: French Brothers, Windsor
Dudley Canal Trust
Princess River Cruises, Nottingham
Sabrina Boat, Shrewsbury
Salter’s Steamers, Oxford
Thames Rivercruise, Reading
The River Cruise Line
Best Sea Crossing Operator for Groups
Winner: Eurotunnel
Runner Up: P&O Ferries
DFDS
Eurostar
Irish Ferries
Stena Line
Wightlink, Isle of Wight Ferries
Best Ocean Cruise Line Operator for Groups
Winner: Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Runner Up: P&O Cruises
Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV)
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
Royal Caribbean
Saga
Thomson Cruises
Best Coach Operator for Groups
Large Fleet
Winner: Bakers Dolphin, Weston-super-Mare
Runner Up: Shearing Holidays, Wigan
Small Fleet
Winner: Platinum Express, Wolverhampton
Runner Up: Lucketts Travel, Fareham
Alfa Travel, Chorley
Crusader Holidays, Clacton-on-Sea
Daish’s Holidays, Torquay
David Ogden Holidays, St Helens
Dunwood Travel, Dudley
Edwards Coaches, Pontypridd
Epsom Coaches, Surrey
Johnsons Coach & Bus Travel, Henley-in-Arden
Kings Coaches, Colchester
Scotland & Bates, Ashford
Best Airline for Groups
Winner: Jet2.com
Runner Up: British Airways
Aer Lingus
easyjet
Flybe
KLM
Ryanair
Virgin Atlantic
Best Railway Operator for Groups
Winner: Virgin Trains
Runner Up: CrossCountry
Eurostar
GWR
Southeastern
South West Trains
Thameslink
Best Group Dining Experience
Winner: Planet Hollywood, London
Runner Up: Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
Bateaux London
Brick Lane Music Hall, London
Hard Rock Café, London
Rainforest Café, London
The Strand Palace, London
Best Company or Venue Offering Guided Tours
Winner: City & Village Tours
Runner Up: Groups Direct
Angels Costumes – The Tour, London
BBC Tours
Big Bus Tours, London
Emmerdale Village Tour
Jaguar Land Rover Factory Tours
The Houses of Parliament, London
Best Information Product for Groups (website or printed)
Winner: English Heritage Group Visits Guide 2016/17
Runner Up: www.greatdays.co.uk
The National Trust Groups Guide 2016
www.justforgroups.co.uk
www.royalcollection.org.uk
www.tripadvisor.co.uk
www.visitkent.co.uk
Best West End Production for Groups
Winner: The Lion King
Runner Up: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Half a Sixpence
Jersey Boys
Kinky Boots
Les Misérables
Motown The Musical
The Phantom of the Opera
Best Best Group Ticketing Agency
Winner: Group Line
Runner Up: Encore
Delfont Mackintosh Theatres
Groups Direct
See Groups
The Ticket Factory
Ticketmaster
Most Group-Friendly Hotel Chain or Group
Winner: Daish’s Hotel Group
Runner Up: Warner Leisure Hotels
Abacus Hotels
Best Western Hotels & Resorts
De Vere Hotels
Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts
Leisureplex
TLH Leisure Resort
Best Individual Hotel for Groups
Winner: St Kilda Hotel, Llandudno
Runner Up: Knights Hill Hotel & Spa, Kings Lynn (Best Western/Abacus Hotels)
Preston Sands Hotel, Paignton
Queens Hotel, Blackpool (Leisureplex)
The Rendezvous Hotel, Skipton
The Russel Hotel, Weymouth (Daish’s Hotel Group)
Thoresby Hall, Nottinghamshire (Warner Leisure Hotels)
Best Holiday Park for Groups
Winner: Mill Rythe Holiday Village, Hayling Island (Away Resorts)
Runner Up: Potters Resort, Norfolk
Butlins, Bognor Regis
Norton Grange, Isle of Wight (Warner Leisure Hotels)
Seacroft Holiday Village, Norfolk (Richardsons)
Best University Accommodation for Groups
Winner: University of Kent, Canterbury
Runner Up: York Conferences at The University of York
Cardiff University
Leeds University
St Aidan’s College at Durham University
University of Portsmouth
Best Group Tour Operator
Winner: IOW Tours, Isle of Wight
Runner Up: Airedale Tours, West Yorkshire
David Urquhart Travel, East Kilbride
Greatdays Travel Group, Cheshire
InterChoice Holidays, Wolverhampton
Just for Groups! Norwich
Success Tours, Wiltshire
Tailored Travel, London
Best European Attraction for Groups
Winner: Disneyland Paris, France
Runner Up: Titanic Belfast, Northern Ireland
Eiffel Tower, France
Guinness Storehouse, Ireland
Ice Cave Langjökull, Iceland
Keukenhof Gardens, Holland
The Claude Monet Foundation, France
Best European Destination for Groups
Winner: Ireland
Runner Up: Belgium
Amsterdam
Dublin
Germany
Iceland
Malta
Prague
Best Animal or Sea Life Attraction for Groups
Winner: West Midland Safari & Leisure Park, Worcestershire
Runner Up: ZSL London Zoo
Chester Zoo, Cheshire
Howletts Wild Animal Park, Kent
Longleat Safari & Adventure Park, Wiltshire
SEA LIFE London Aquarium
The National SEA LIFE Centre, Birmingham
Best Historical House and/or Garden for Groups
Winner: Chatsworth House, Derbyshire
Runner Up: Hampton Court Palace, Richmond upon Thames
Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire
Buckingham Palace, London
Castle Howard, North Yorkshire
Eltham Palace, London
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Savill Garden, Windsor
Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire
Best Family Day Out
Winner: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
Runner Up: Drayton Manor Theme Park, Staffordshire
Cadbury World, Birmingham
Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Surrey
Legoland Windsor Resort
Longleat’s Festival of Light, Wiltshire
The London Bridge Experience
Best Attraction for Group Visits
Winner: Bletchley Park, Milton Keynes
Runner Up: Coca-Cola London Eye
Beamish Open Air Museum, County Durham
Bombay Sapphire Distillery, Hampshire
Buckingham Palace, London
Eden Project, Cornwall
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! London
The View from The Shard, London
Outstanding Contribution to Group Travel by an Individual
Geoff Holt
The Little Treasures of Britain Award
The Peto Garden, Iford Manor, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire
The Development of Incoming Group Visitors to the UK
Clovelly, Devon
The Editor’s Award for Innovation in Tourism
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage
The Editor’s Award for Technological Innovation
St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury
