Recognising the people who make a positive impact, the Group Travel Organiser of the Year Award® has been celebrating GTOs for over 25 years. Now, we’re delighted to reveal the 2026 finalists.
Following a competitive process of nominations and entries, four outstanding individuals have been shortlisted for the top honour for group travel organisers.
The GTO of the Year Award® is exclusively revealed at the annual Group Leisure & Travel Awards ceremony - and has become a highlight since the first presentation was made back in 1999. The 2026 winner will receive an increased £3,000 prize to spend on a familiarisation holiday of their choice.
The award is to recognise people for how they organise trips and holidays for groups, and the positive impact this has on other people.
Meet your 2026 finalists…
Becky Chikaura, Ms Bee Group Travel
It all began with a trip for 36 women for Becky’s 40th birthday, and Ms Bee Group Travel has grown from strength to strength ever since. She now takes women all around the world – to the likes of Dubai, China, Las Vegas and Morocco.
With an average age range of 30-60, the interests of her group are varied but she says they have a sense of adventure and love trying out new experiences “in the comfort of a group”.
Becky researches new locations and looks out for warm destinations for her members, particularly in the colder months, and offers a range of activities during a holiday, from theatre nights and tours to quad biking and camel riding.
Using social media to promote her trips (she has a strong Tik Tok and Facebook following), Becky loves “seeing other people happy and creating new experiences” for her members.
She prides herself on the feedback and comments from people who have been on her trips. Just one of the many testimonials she shared with us read: “I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Ms Bee Group Travel for organising such an incredible trip to China. The entire experience was not only enjoyable but truly eye-opening - filled with learning, culture and unforgettable memories.”
Friendship is key on Becky’s trips and her aim is to help women “take a break from the usual day-to-day life of being a mother/care-giver.”
She said: “Sometimes we have women join us who don’t know anyone and we match them or they become friends with other group members and create friendships. I love to see other people happy and bringing a new experience to another woman is the most rewarding experience ever.”
Carol Gower, CBA Millenium Outings
Set up to offer day trips and holidays to people in Carol’s community in Cranbrook, Kent, CBA Millenium Outings enables lots of different people, many of whom wouldn’t otherwise travel, to have amazing experiences.
From day visits to short breaks in the UK and river cruises, Carol organises visits to suit everyone’s interests and budgets with recent trips including a weekend in Nottingham, a French Brothers river cruise in Windsor and a 14-night Baltic cruise.
And she does it all with a sense of humour and friendly smile. Carol told us: “Just to see the smiling faces of happy people as they leave the coach at the end of a trip is all I need by way of reward. I learned so much in my early days of organising by talking with those who were much more experienced, and hope that I am now of some use and encouragement to anyone in their early days of arranging trips who is seeking support.”
Through the community group, Carol has also fundraised around £160,000 to help furnish a new community hall in Cranbrook, and surpluses have been donated to various other good causes over the years.
For each trip, Carol organises a coach seating plan to optimise conversations between members. She said: “I love watching friendships being forged when I sit new people with someone I think might be a good travelling companion for them….. then notice them enjoying one another’s company off the coach later in the day.
“It’s a very friendly group, rather like a big happy family, and we all look out for one another.”
Jane Minshull, Sandbach Friends on Tour
With a zest for life and clear passion for bringing people together, Jane began with just one ‘turkey and tinsel’ holiday. Now, through Sandbach Friends on Tour, she takes people on a whole host of trips, with members eager to find out ‘when the next one is’.
In recent years, some of the places the group has visited include Scarborough, the Isle of Wight, Bournemouth, Windsor, Dublin, Tenby, Cromer and the Thursford Christmas Spectacular.
Jane admitted that feedback from her members “brings a lump to my throat” and also told us: “It means so much to them and I’ve had the privilege of being able to do this. It is an honour and a privilege”. Selfless in her approach, Jane is full of praise for her members, admiring their “get up and go attitude”.
Jane goes over and above to make her members feel special, anything from arranging quizzes for something a bit extra, all the way through to organising a mention for a military veteran at the Birmingham Tattoo.
When asked what the most important skills and qualities were in her role as a group travel organiser, Jane said: “Just be there, listen and keep calm if anything untowards happens which it does from time to time. Watching our group all helping each other its brilliant to see.
“I like to think we are inclusive within our group, we try to include everyone, seating people together with similar interests on the coach. Planning and timings are essential and having a back-up plan is always useful, particulary if the weather is against your plans.”
Sue Povey, Out and About with Sue
Sue describes being a group organiser as a “lifetime hobby”, her passion and commitment demonstrated by the fact that she even set up a new group after relocating and told us that she’s the busiest she has ever been. Her aim? Simply to create enjoyable, well-organised and memorable experiences that bring people together.
She brings her “positive, cheerful attitude and enthusiasm” to every single trip she organises, whether through her own group, Out and About with Sue, or for the other groups that she organises trips for. She arranges everything from theatre visits and walking holidays to coach days out and overseas visits. Some of the places the group has visited in recent years include the Peak District, the Brecon Beacons, Austria and Italy.
Sue said: “Group travel has become a huge part of my life. I would even say I’m slightly addicted to the positive impact it has! It’s not just about the trips themselves, but the sense of community and shared experience they create.”
Priding herself on a more “personal approach” to help promote trips, Sue speaks to members about upcoming visits, something she has found to help reassure those who may be nervous about travelling to a new destination, especially if they’re on their own.
From a teaching background, Sue values the educational side of travel, telling us: “Group trips often introduce people to destinations they might never have considered, or wouldn’t feel confident organising on their own.
“I’m also proud to have encouraged others to become group organisers, sharing my knowledge and recommending trusted suppliers to help them get started. Seeing others take that step and create opportunities for more people to travel is just as rewarding.”
A huge thank you to the judging panel for this year’s GTO of the Year® Award:
- Emma Durrant, The Sound Collective (GTO of the Year® 2025 winner)
- Laura Cook, group sales senior advisor at Daish’s Holidays (The Excellence Award 2025 winner)
- Ellie Fulcher, sales manager groups & affinity at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines (official partner of the GTO of the Year Award® 2026)
- Keeley Rodgers, editor of Group Leisure & Travel
- Rob Yandell, publisher of Group Leisure & Travel
The GTO of the Year Award® is presented annually at the Group Leisure & Travel Awards, organised by Group Leisure & Travel.
The winner of the 2026 award will be announced at the Group Leisure & Travel Awards ceremony on Friday 12th June, 2026 at the five-star Royal Lancaster Hotel.
The GTO of the Year Award® 2026 is partnered by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
As a family-run cruise line, Fred. Olsen really takes your experience personally. While the rest of the cruise industry has gone for bigger ships, Fred. Olsen has always believed that smaller is better. They have fewer guests on board so the service is personal and the atmosphere is warm and civilised.
