We’re thrilled to be able to share the 2022 Group Leisure & Travel Awards winners, an initiative which shines a spotlight on the best destinations, attractions and people as voted for and nominated by you.

The annual Group Leisure & Travel Awards dinner and ceremony took place on Wednesday 5th October at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Milton Keynes – hosted by football legend, Kevin Keegan. Thanks to everyone who voted, nominated or entered as part of this year’s initiative. 

Read about the 2022 ceremony

Here are your Group Leisure & Travel Awards 2022 winners…

Best UK Attraction for Children & Families

  • Alton Towers
  • Cadbury World
  • Go Ape
  • I’m A Celebrity… Jungle Challenge
  • LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort (winner)
  • West Midland Safari Park
  • Aerospace Bristol 
  • Bletchley Park
  • King Richard III Visitor Centre (winner)
  • The Postal Museum
  • Science Museum London
  • World of James Herriot

Best Historic Attraction or Venue

  • Belvoir Castle
  • Blenheim Palace (winner)
  • Castle Howard
  • Hereford Cathedral
  • Leeds Castle 
  • Windsor Castle

Blenheim Palace

You decided that Blenheim Palace was this year’s Best Historic Attraction or Venue.

Best Garden Visit

  • Eden Project
  • The Lost Gardens of Heligan
  • RHS Garden Wisley
  • Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (winner)
  • The Savill Garden
  • Sissinghurst Castle Garden

Best Coach or Tour Operator - UK Tours

  • Airedale Tours
  • Crusader Holidays
  • Dunwood (winner)
  • Ellen Smith Coach Tours
  • Harry Shaw Group Travel
  • InterChoice

Dunwood group

With a variety of options for groups, Dunwood topped the Best Coach or Tour Operator - UK Tours category.

  • Brittany Ferries
  • Condor Ferries
  • DFDS
  • Eurotunnel
  • Irish Ferries (winner)
  • Wightlink

Best Event for Groups

  • BBC Gardeners’ World Live
  • BBC Good Food Show
  • Harrogate Autumn Flower Show
  • Newmarket Nights
  • Royal Ascot (winner)
  • Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
 

Thank you to our official Awards Partners for 2022

Group Leisure & Travel Awards 2022 Partner Logos

 

Best Christmas Experience

  • Blenheim Palace
  • Hampton Court Palace
  • Hever Castle (winner)
  • Thursford Christmas Spectacular
  • Waddesdon Manor
  • York Christmas Festival

Best Guided Tour

  • Kensington Palace
  • The London Dungeon
  • Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
  • UK Parliament
  • Royal Albert Hall
  • The Royal Mint Experience (winner)

Best Accommodation for Groups

  • Best Western Hotels & Resorts
  • Brend Hotels
  • Daish’s Holidays
  • The Manor House Hotel, Okehampton
  • Potters Resorts (winner)
  • Warner Leisure Hotels

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Best Group Dining Experience

  • The Floating Grace
  • Hard Rock Café
  • Mamma Mia! The Party (winner)
  • North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s Pullman Dining Carriages
  • Royal Shakespeare Company
  • Warner Leisure Hotels

Best Theatre Production

  • Back To The Future The Musical
  • Disney’s Frozen The West End Musical
  • The Lion King
  • Mamma Mia! (winner)
  • Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
  • Wicked

Mamma Mia!

Source: Brinkhoff Moegenburg

The colourful Mamma Mia! took home the Best Theatre Production trophy.

Best Cruise Line

  • Arena River Cruises
  • CroisiEurope (winner)
  • Emerald Cruises
  • Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
  • P&O Cruises
  • Royal Caribbean International

Best Ticketing Agency

  • ATG Tickets
  • Delfont Mackintosh
  • Group Line (winner)
  • Nimax Theatres
  • See Tickets
  • The Ticket Factory

Best UK Destination

  • Bournemouth
  • Devon
  • London
  • Staffordshire
  • Wiltshire
  • York (winner)

York Minster

The magnificent York Minster is just one of the many highlights the city has to offer, according to GLT readers.

Best International Destination

  • Amsterdam
  • Ireland (winner)
  • Malta
  • Paris
  • Venice
  • Ypres

The Excellence Award 2022

  • Alex Dixon, Historic Royal Palaces
  • Zoe Poston, Dunwood (winner)
  • Pam Wharton, Ellen Smith (Tours) Ltd
  • Eric White, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

You can find out more about all of The Excellence Award finalists by clicking here

Best Group Tour Operator

  • Airedale Tours
  • HF Holidays
  • Jet2holidays
  • Simply Groups
  • Success Tours
  • Travel Editions (winner)

Malta

Travel Editions scooped the top prize in the Best Tour Operator category, taking GTOs all over the world, including the likes of Porto and Malta (pictured).

Best UK Attraction

  • Chester Zoo
  • lastminute.com London Eye
  • National Memorial Arboretum (winner)
  • Tower of London
  • Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
  • Windsor Castle

Group Travel Organiser of the Year® 2022

  • Robert Coleman, The London Cultureseekers Group
  • Dave Hartle, Dave’s Trips (winner)
  • Irene Moore, Epsom & Ewell U3A
  • Jacky Oakley, Camberley & District U3A 

You can find out about each of the GTO of the Year® finalists, including why they love their job and the experiences they arrange for their group, by clicking here

The annual Group Leisure & Travel Awards ceremony, which exclusively features the Group Travel Organiser of the Year Award®, is one of the premier events in the group travel calendar when guests get to network, reward and celebrate alongside GTOs and members of the travel trade.

The ceremony took place on Wednesday 5th October at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Milton Keynes – hosted by football legend, Kevin Keegan. 

For general information on the initiative – click here.