AITO Awards

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 prestigious awards are unveiled exclusively at the AITO Annual General Meeting each year. View the honour roll of recipients splanning from 2015 to the present year below.

2023

Tour Operator of the Year

2022

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2023

Chair's Award

2023

Tourist Board of the Year

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 28 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.

The top three awards (Gold, Silver and Bronze) in each category will be announced at the annual AITO Meets the Media event taking place on the evening of Wednesday, 22 October, at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City.

The judges assessed each article according to four criteria; seeking copy that was not only inspirational, informative and interesting, but also, of course, well-written.

Shortlisted entries for the Travel Writer of the Year Awards 2025 are (names alphabetically listed in this version for ease):

AITO Travel Writer of the Year – Over 1,500 words Award

·           Cathy Adams – The sleepy French region only just being discovered by tourists, The Times

·           Amanda Canning – The Return, National Geographic Traveller

·           Amanda Canning – Breaking the Ice, National Geographic Traveller

·           Yvette Cook - We often hear about the power of tourism to bring meaningful change. Is it working for women in Saudi Arabia?Adventure.com

·           Meera Dattani – The other Camino: Hiking the coast-to-coast Camino de Costa Rica, Adventure.com

·           Ben Lerwill – Karakoram Calling, National Geographic Traveller

·           Lorna Parkes – Of tides & time, National Geographic Traveller

·           Anthony Peregrine – The 13 regions of France, The Telegraph

·           Phoebe Smith – My multi-gen Malaysian rail adventure (with a three and 75-year-old), The Times

·           James Stewart – The unexpected country tipped to be Central America’s next big thing, The Times

·           Georgia Stephens – In the tiger’s tracks, National Geographic Traveller

AITO Travel Writer of the Year – Under 1,500 words

·           Yvette Cook – Meet the women blazing a trail through the majestic mountains of Morocco, The Independent

·           Sara Darling – ‘We’re here to disturb the algorithm’ - inside Dubai’s surprising art scene, The Independent

·           Abigail Flanagan – Spending time in Thailand’s ancient mangroves could be the path to peace, The Independent

·           Sarah Gillespie – I was looking to connect with my late uncle’s spirit in North Africa - instead I fell in love, The Times

·           Laura Hall – I took my kids arctic cocooning in Finland and found a new way to look at the world, The Good Times

·           Rebecca Ann Hughes – Inside the quiet paradise two hours from Venice’s crowds – from a local who knows, The I Paper

·           Harriet Mallinson – The Arctic adventure so thrilling I forgot to look for the Northern Lights, The Independent

·           Helen Ochyra – Why I walked Exmoor, my mum’s favourite place, with my daughter, The Times

·           Anthony Peregrine – How Nantes overcame a dark past to become the most fun city in France, The Telegraph

·           Lydia Swinscoe – The South Asian city with a creative underbelly, The Times

AITO Young Travel Writer of the Year

·         Sara Jane Armstrong – Why the way to travel Oaxaca's Pacific Coast is on two wheels, National Geographic Traveller

·         Kelsey Haslam – Hurghada’s hidden stories: The driver with no name, Magenta Adventures

·         Alice Henderson – Inflight fashion: On the runway, Business Traveller

·         Sam Kemp – After the storm, National Geographic Traveller

·         Ella Mansell – A Cuban Reverie: Rhythm, Rum, And Creative Revolution In Havana, Citizen Femme

·         Chiara Mapelli – A sip of hope: In drought-stricken Jordan, the art of winemaking continues to flourish, Adventure.com

·         Josh Milton – The best food I ate in Japan cost 78p from a corner shop, Metro.co.uk

·         Leyla Rose – Bullet trains and golden temples: This is Java by train, Adventure.com

·         Christy Spring – What does a city break look like at the Arctic's edge?, Escapism

·         Christy Spring – New York by word of mouth recommendations, Escapism 

AITO Travel Trade Writer of the Year 

·         Madeleine Barber – ‘I've just been to South Korea – this is why it's so hot right now’, TTG

·         Charlotte Brook – Moving Mountains, Aspire

·         Emma Dooney – Hotel Review: Anantara The Marker, Dublin, TTG Media

·         Bella Falk – Pass the Remote, TTG Luxury

·         Stuart Forster – Natural Wonders in Norway, Selling Travel

·         Lauren Jarvis – Wild and Free, Selling Australia

·         Katie McGonagle – Curious George, Aspire

·         Jennifer Morris – ‘She’d want me to keep travelling’, TTG Media

·         Rashmi Narayan – Eclectic Tastes, TTG 

AITO Travel Blogger of the Year

·         Mark Barnes – Your ultimate guide to visiting the Iceland highlights, Anywhere we roam

·         Mark Barnes – 2-Week Northern Arizona & Utah National Parks Road Trip, Anywhere we roam

·         Bella Falk – Botswana Rainy Season: Here’s Why It’s A Great Time To Visit, Passport and Pixels

·         Chloe Gunning-Sherifi – Sri Lanka With Kids: Itinerary and Top Things To Do, Wanderlust Chloe

·         Paul Healy – Why Innsbruck Should Be Your Next Alpine Escape, Anywhere we roam

·         Abigail King – How a Stone Serpent in the Basque Country is Tackling Overtourism, Inside the travel lab

·         Claire Lees Ingham – Amiras, Substack

·         Shafik Meghji – Mapping London's South Asian History, The Runnymede Trust

·         Katie Macleod – A Coastal Walk to MacLeods Stone, Isle of Harris, Stories My Suitcase could tell

·         Katie Macleod – Cellardyke Tidal Pool: wild swimming in the East Neuk of Fife, Stories My Suitcase could tell