Atas honours agents with awards at annual conference

The Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers (Atas) has named Travel Counsellors as the Touring and Adventure Agency of the Year.

The homeworking agency was among 12 winners of the annual Atas Recognition Awards, which were announced during the association’s conference in Liverpool (October 10-11).

Travel Counsellors won a second award on the night – for being the best homeworking agency – while Hays Travel also scooped two honours: Agency of the Year for Northeast England and High Street Agency of the Year.

Travel Club Elite also took home two awards: Online or Call Centre Agency of the Year and Agency of the Year for Central England.

More than 400 delegates attended the two-day conference, which took place at a new venue: the Rum Warehouse in the Titanic Hotel.

The awards were presented to agents during the gala dinner on Wednesday by Claire Brighton, Atas director, and members of the Atas board.

Claire Brighton, Atas director, said: “We were thrilled to reveal the winners of our annual recognition awards scheme. They really are worthy recipients.

“All the winners and those on the shortlist for the awards have made fantastic efforts to sell touring and adventure holidays over the past year.

“The ceremony and gala dinner were the perfect way to celebrate agents’ dedication to our sector and to round off a busy two days of speaker presentations, networking and entertaining educational sessions.”

Winners of the Recognition Awards will also be granted fully hosted places on an Atas educational fam trip to Lake Como next March.

The gala dinner also saw prizes being awarded to agents for competitions they had entered earlier in the day at the Atas trade fair.

Award winners:

One to Watch: Designer Travel
Sustainability Champion: Travel Matters
Social Media Star: Travelosophers

Regional categories:

Agency of the Year – Southeast England: Fred Olsen Travel
Agency of the Year – Southwest England: Miles Morgan Travel
Agency of the Year – Wales: Cartwright Travel
Agency of the Year – Central England: Travel Club Elite
Agency of the Year – Northeast England: Hays Travel
Agency of the Year – Northwest England: Gates Travel
Agency of the Year – Scotland & Northern Ireland: Barrhead Travel

National categories:

Online or Call Centre Agency of the Year: Travel Club Elite
Homeworking Agency of the Year: Travel Counsellors
High Street Agency of the Year: Hays Travel
Touring and Adventure Agency of the Year: Travel Counsellors