The Excellence Award: highlighting your travel trade superstars

Presented at the Group Leisure & Travel Awards ceremony, previous winners have included individuals who have worked for tour operators, attractions, cruise lines and more.

Each year the individuals in contention for this special award make such a difference when it comes to your experience, whether it’s ensuring that the booking process is as smooth as possible or creating a memorable trip for your members, with those extra special touches to make it the best it can be.

As a GTO you want to be in safe hands, knowing that everything has been thought through and the whole journey, from the initial booking enquiry all the way through to the experience itself, runs smoothly.

But it’s often when the unexpected happens on a trip that an individual comes into their own, offering the right level of help and support to deal with any challenges.

Your 2025 Excellence Award winner and finalists… 

Laura Cook of Daish’s Holidays won The Excellence Award 2025 which was announced at the Group Leisure & Travel Awards ceremony in London - congratulations! All of those shortlisted were worthy of winning; and our other finalists for 2025 were:

• Kelly Kennedy, group sales executive, Alfa Travel
• Christine Oakes, customer service administrator, Kynren
• Amiee Thomas, sales manager, Longleat

You can read more about each of our winner and finalists and why they love working with groups by clicking here.

Know someone who deserves to be recognised in the travel trade? 2026 nominations will open in the autumn of 2025 and to stay updated with the latest awards updates, along with great content to inspire and help with planning group trips, subscribe to our ‘Weekly Spotlight’ newsletter here.