The UK & Ireland’s biggest and most prestigious celebration of the travel trade is to return to its traditional date this summer, with a number of new awards designed to further honour the industry’s best agents and agencies.

The 2022 Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards will return to London’s Park Plaza Westminster Hotel on Thursday, July 14, after the 2021 edition was moved to September due to uncertainty around restrictions on large events.

New categories will recognise excellence in a range of fields including agencies’ commitment to sustainability, staff development, wellbeing and mental health.

Following a successful inaugural partnership in 2021, the 2022 awards will again be held in association with headline sponsor Virgin Atlantic.

Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief of Travel Weekly Group, said: “We are delighted the AAAs will return to their traditional date in July for the first time since 2019, as we plan an incredible celebration alongside Virgin Atlantic and a range of partners and sponsors with the trade at the heart of their strategies.

“As we prepare to honour the trade’s favourite suppliers at next month’s Globe Travel Awards, it is fantastic to also start the process of finding and celebrating the best agents and agencies in the UK & Ireland.”

Lee Haslett, Virgin Atlantic vice-president of global sales, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Travel Weekly on these prestigious awards once again, where we can all get together and celebrate the travel agent community and recognise their importance to the recovery of the travel and tourism sector.

“We truly value our ongoing partnerships with our trade partners and sponsoring the Agent Achievement Awards allows Virgin Atlantic to say thank you for all their support and reiterate our commitment moving forward.”

Founded in 1997, the Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards feature a range of supplier-voted categories recognising the best small and large agencies by region, sales channel and product specialisms, in addition to self-nominated categories which celebrate individual agents and business excellence.

New award categories introduced for 2022 will honour agents’ commitment to sustainability and positive mental health, in addition to recognising the small and large agencies which do the most to support, develop and retain their staff.

Huxley added: “We are proud to have taken the lead in the areas of sustainability and mental health prior to the pandemic, and these issues have only grown importance since. These new awards will allow us to recognise those agents and agencies taking a holistic approach to their future business strategy.”

New categories for 2022

Sustainability Champions of the Year (small and large)

Recognising an agency which has truly embraced sustainability both within its business and in the product and suppliers it promotes and sells to customers. Successful entrants will be able to demonstrate how sustainability and responsible travel are at the centre of their future business plans. The award is open to travel agencies operating in any sales channel, including high street, call centre, online and from home.

Best Agency to Work For (small and large)

Designed to recognise the best employers in the travel agency sector, and open to agencies operating in any sales channel, including high street, call centre, online and from home. Successful entrants will be able to demonstrate their business’s commitment to staff wellbeing and development and the impact of their strategy on staff progression and retention, business performance and the wider workforce and community.

Mental Health Matters Award

Building on Travel Weekly’s Mental Health Matters series of articles and events, this award will recognise an agent or agency staff member who has led their business’s approach to encouraging positive mental health for colleagues and even customers. The award is open to those operating in any sales channel, including high street, call centre, online and from home, and successful entrants will be able to demonstrate tangible evidence of their efforts to support wellbeing over the past 12 months.

For all new awards listed above, a shortlist will be drawn up and assessed by a judging panel.

To find out more about the 2022 Agent Achievement Awards, including how to vote, enter and book tickets…

VISIT THE AGENT ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS WEBSITE