AITO: The Association of Independent Tour Operators
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AITO Awards

Held every Autumn at our 'Meet the Media' event, the prestigious Travel Writer of the Year (TWOTY) awards are always hotly contested. Over the past 27 years, some of the most respected travel journalists in the industry have featured on the roll of honour.

The awards recognise excellence in the huge field of travel writing and offer a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the incredible talent we enjoy across the sector. The awards ceremony is attended by a remarkable collection of travel journalists, tour operators, and tourist boards.

In 2023, expert judges from the across the travel industry gave their verdict on entries based on four key tenets, ensuring the winners articles were inspirational, informative, interesting, and well-written.


2023 AITO TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR (TWOTY) WINNERS & RUNNERS-UP:


AITO Travel Writer of the Year - Long (Over 1,500 words):

  • First Place - Liz Edwards – Son spa and sand in Oman, The Sunday Times
  • Second Place - Meera Dattani – No homework needed, Adventure.com
  • Third Place - Emma Thomson – Camping with custodians, National Geographic Traveller

  • AITO Travel Writer of the Year - Short (Under 1,500 words):

  • First Place - Sean Newsom – Following in the footsteps of Cézanne in Provence, The Sunday Times
  • Second Place - Sarah Gillespie – The underrated country that is destined to be SE Asia's next big thing, The Times
  • Third Place - Lucy Perrin – The blissful Indian idyll perfect for first timers, The Times

  • AITO Young Travel Writer of the Year:

  • First Place - Jacqui Agate – Where the crawdads sings, The Times
  • Second Place - Anna Richards – Holy Fork, Suitcase Magazine
  • Third Place - Doug Loynes – Rio’s favela tours are back, but are they ethical?, Fodors

  • AITO Travel Trade Writer of the Year:

  • First Place - Madeleine Barber – School for Cool, TTG
  • Second Place - Erica Rich – Star-studded journey, Aspire
  • Third Place - Lottie Gross – Why Chefs should take part in Regenuary, The Caterer

  • AITO Travel Blogger of the Year:

  • First Place (Joint) - Albania the great value Med beach destination that needs to be on your radar, Travelsupermarket.blog
  • First Place (Joint) - Heidi Fuller-Love – Albania the great value Med beach destination that needs to be on your radar, Travelsupermarket.blog
  • Second Place - Abigail King – Gambian cuisine, Inside the Travel Lab
  • Third Place - Phoebe Smith – Rewilding Portugal, Guardian.com

  • Many congratulations to our winners who have entered the AITO Hall of Fame alongside some of the most respected travel journalists in the industry.

    Applications for this year open early summer for articles written during the previous 12-month period.

    Tour Operator of the Year+-


    The prestigious AITO Tour Operator of the Year awards are awarded annually to those tour operators with the highest ratings on aito.com, judged from AITO Reviews.

    The award is presented at an AITO members only event, the Annual General Meeting, in the summer. Below are the winners from 2015 to present.

    2023

    Gold  Absolute Escapes and Peter Sommer Travels
    Bronze  On Foot Holidays

    2022

    Gold  Absolute Escapes and Peter Sommer Travels
    Bronze  On Foot Holidays

    2019

    Gold  Inside Travel Group
    Silver  Peter Sommer Travels and On Foot Holidays
    Bronze  McKinlay Kidd

    2018

    Gold  The Mountain Company
    Silver  Peter Sommer Travels
    Bronze  McKinlay Kidd


    2017

    Gold  Peter Sommer Travels
    Silver  Expert Africa
    Bronze  Absolute Escapes


    2016

    Gold  McKinlay Kidd
    Silver  Peter Sommer Travels
    Bronze  Casas Cantabricas


    2015

    Gold  Peter Sommer Travels
    Silver  CICERONI Travel
    Bronze  The Mountain Company