700,000 UK Holidaymakers Vote in British Travel Awards

Australia holidays were voted top destination in the British Travel Awards last week.

The British Travel Awards (BTA) named Australia as the best place for cheap holidays this year – according to the British public. Cheap holidays in Australia got the thumbs up from the majority of the 700,000 votes cast, followed by breaks in Spain and Italy, who scooped the silver and gold awards in this category.

Opening the awards ceremony last Wednesday at Battersea Evolution in Battersea Park, London, BTA chief executive Lorraine Barnes Burton declared that the awards represented “the benchmark for excellence when it comes to finding out who really is the best in the business of travel for the UK consumer.”

“From relatively small beginnings the British Travel Awards has gone from strength to strength and now in its sixth year,” she said.

“The British public has cast an incredible number of votes for their favourite travel companies. Next year we hope to pass the one million mark – the British Travel Awards are without doubt the largest independent consumer voted independent awards scheme in the UK.”

Florida holidays received their due from the voters, with the destination receiving the award for Best USA Holiday State, while cheap holidays in New York proved their enduring popularity when the Big Apple was voted Best City Break Destination, followed by Barcelona and Paris. When it comes to winter sports, Britons voted for the Swiss ski resort of St Moritz in Switzerland and the French resorts of Val d’Isere and Chamonix.

Some of the hottest competition at the BTA comes from the various travel companies, jockeying to see who can pick up the most awards. This year, it was a two-horse race between the Thomas Cook and Thomson organisations, who between them own many, many well-known travel brands. Thomson narrowly came out ahead this year, picking up 18 awards compared to 15 for Thomas Cook. Virgin also scooped 15 awards, including two for Virgin Atlantic – for the quality of its economy flights and customer service – and others for its holiday and cruise divisions.