THE WINNERS
MARKETING AWARDS
Best Use of Social Media
The Bahamas Tourist Office - 14 Islands Film Challenge
Judges liked this entry for its originality, innovation and for being fun. They thought the campaign was well blended across a range of different media channels, was backed up by a fantastic website and great content. The campaign was also commended for having created something that had longevity and was not just a one off. Following Tourism Queensland’s hugely successful ‘best job in the world’ campaign the judges said the bar had been set very high for tourist boards but that the Bahamas had reached it.
Best Cross-Media Advertising Campaign
LateRooms for ‘Go Discover’
The winner in this category was praised for their creative execution of their campaign which was said to have caused a ripple effect for the brand across television and online, reinventing the brand from a customer perspective.
Highly commended: Direct Holidays
Best Use of Affiliate Marketing
Arena Quantum for Haven Holidays
The winner in this category demonstrated a clear understanding of the two core needs of affiliates; to educate and to incentivise. Judges agreed this entry demonstrated it had a clear impact on affiliates and there was a clear sign of results. They particularly liked the idea of setting up a portal to serve the channel which would help not only to protect the brand but also to help with search engine optimisation.
Best B2C Travel Blog
Cheapflights
This entry stood out for the judges due to the clear evidence of results. The blog was considered to be practical, engaging and demonstrated good experience of the travel sector. One judge described it was more like an Encyclopedia than a blog. The judges said: The results are fantastic, the blog is well established and it’s well used. The content is also useful – that’s why blogs work.
Best Agency Website Design
Positive Digital for Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises
The winner in this category was considered to have executed very good delivery of the websites in the entry given the relatively small budget they had to work with. Judges said the result were nice, clear concise websites, a simple solution and cracking return on investment.
Best use of SEO
Propellernet for To-Tuscany
The winner in this category stood out for the way it had truly embedded itself within the client’s company, working to gain an intimate understanding of its requirements and, crucially, those of its consumers. The entry demonstrated an understanding of the whole customer journey and how it applies to search engine optimisation, putting the consumer at the heart of the process. Judges were particularly impressed by how the agency’s work was helping the client to exploit opportunities to grow the business into new markets.
Highly commended: Occupancy Marketing for IHG
CONSUMER AWARDS – PRESENTED BY TELETEXT
Best Hotel Website
Lastminute.com/hotels
Best Airline Website
British Airways – ba.com
Best Attraction Website
Disneyworld Florida
Best Cruise Website
P&O Cruises
Best Car Hire Website
Hertz.co.uk
Biggest Travel Innovation of 2010
TripAdvisor
Best Travel writing 2010
Lonely Planet
TRAVEL PORTAL AWARDS
Best Meta-search/Price Comparison
Skyscanner.net
The website that stood out in this category was considered not only to have demonstrated clear evidence of commercial success but had made the most advances in the last year. Judges said it was clean, easy to use and navigate around and ticked the boxes in terms of originality of design and features.
Highly commended: Carrentals
Best Travel Information website
Pitchup.com
This winner was considered, above the other contenders, to have had the biggest impact on its sector by creating a site that conveyed a personality and a real sense of fun. Judges liked attention to detail and the clever use of linking information to external sites. The site reflected an expertise and passion in the sector it serves. One judge said: I don’t camp but it made we want to go round the site.
TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
Best Technology Provider
Tealeaf Technology
Tealeaf’s analytic capabilities have added real revenue and value to their customers, with a unique product that would be almost impossible to develop internally.
Best Online/Desktop Application
Royal Caribbean Cruise Compass
A true workflow enhancement for travel agents - RCCL’s desktop app hits the sweet spot of this category.
Highly commended: Digital Visitor
Best Mobile Application
Off Exploring iPhone App
Off Exploring’s instant blog and photo suite works like a charm on the iphone – an app that really uses the platform
AGENT AND OPERATOR AWARDS
Best Accommodation-only Website
MrandMrsSmith.com
Judges like the attention to detail in the winning submission in this category saying they could not find a bad thing to say about it. It was felt the entrant really gets the consumer and that the site was inspirational and easy to use. Judges also liked the innovation and originality of design, good use of photography and the way the site reflected what the product was all about.
Best Agent-only Website
Cruise118.com
The winner in this category was commended for creating a strong brand in a short space of time in what is a fiercely competitive sector of the online travel industry. Judges said the winner had produced a good retail site that was easy to use and navigate and highlighted deals while also being good to look at. The winner also stood out for evidence of its business acumen having signed a deal with Travelsupermarket and creating separate sub sites for niche markets like luxury, Alaska cruises and cruises from the UK.
Highly commended: Isango!
Best Tour Operator-only Website
AudleyTravel.com
The winning operator website in this category was chosen for clearly demonstrating that it understood the luxury market. The website was considered to have been crafted with a lot of thought and designed to make the user feel comfortable about parting with a lot of money. Judges said the site had personality and character, there was good use of imagery and it was careful to reflect the points of difference the applicant offered.
Highly commended: GreatRail.com
SUPPLIER AWARDS
Best Airline Website
ba.com
An all-round excellent use of the web medium combining good design, functionality and user experience
Best Hotel Website
PremierInn.com
Comprehensive and easy to use with a great selection of activities and room choices
Best Car Hire Website
Rhinocarhire.com
The winner stood out for trying to do something quirky and different in a highly commoditised sector. The judges felt the winning site successfully conveyed a personality backed up by sold technology which meant it was price competitive in what is a difficult market.
Best Cruise Website
Cruise118.com
The winner in this category was considered to have made a major impact in its sector over the last 12 months with a website that mixed a strong sales message with a neat, tidy design which integrated its own customer service promise.
Best Tickets/Attractions/Excursions Website:
AttractionTix.co.uk
This website demonstrated clear progress in the last 12 months both in terms of visitors and sales. Good progress has also been made offering users a personalised service and integrating it with social networking sites like Facebook. Judges said the site was full of quality, relevant content, very easy and clear navigation offering good access to the deals being promoted on the site.
Highly commended: Sportsworld
ONES TO WATCH
Rising Star of the Year
Simon Hagger, Holiday Extras
Leo Purcell, Opodo
Highly commended: Renaldo Scheepers, A2B Transfers
Rising Brand of the Year
Lowcostholidays
This brand was considered to have come the furthest in the previous year in terms of its impact on consumer with a focus not just on price and deals but customer service and satisfaction. Judges said this had been achieved in a cost effective way with a lot of hard work going into making the most of online PR and attention grabbing offline promotions and without the big budgets of some of its rivals.
TRAVEL PIONEER
Travelport Opinions
TRAVEL BRAND OF THE YEAR
Mr & Mrs Smith
TRAVOLUTION ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Steve Hafner, Kayak
