Sweet 16 For Agents’ Choice 2015
It’s sweet 16 for the Agents’ Choice Awards – 16 years since we began asking the Canadian trade to name their favourites in a handful of travel categories. The reader survey has now grown to 28 categories, including sub-sections such as small, medium and large size cruise ships.
We’ve also grown to approximately 5,000 survey respondents per year (4,940 to be precise this year).
There aren’t any new categories this year, however we’ve changed the name of Environmentally Friendly Co. to Responsible Travel.
As usual, the survey ran between February and April via ballots in Canadian Travel Press and Travel Courier, and online at TravelPress,com.
Grand prize incentives this year included flights to Amsterdam courtesy of Air Canada; a $5,000 travel credit from Trafalgar; a river-cruise tour for two to Bordeaux, France, from Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and Insight Vacations; and a Love’s Embrace diamond necklace from Kay Jewelers.
In this publication, we present all the results in chart and story form with the extended results listed online at https://www.travelpress.com/ACA_2015 along with photos of the winners as they receive their trophies. Readers can also wade in on Twitter at #agentschoice15 or Facebook at /BaxterTravelMedia.
As always, our disclaimer: Results are compiled from travel industry voters and reflect the aggregate “favourites” in each category. They do not suggest who Baxter Travel Media thinks is “the best,” nor do they reflect any hard data on industry benchmarks such as revenues, volumes of business, or on-time performances. Point totals consist of three points for a first place vote, two for second and one for third. Listings in this supplement include the top 10 in each category, while online charts include only vote recipients receiving more than 50 points (except, in some cases, for Atlantic region results, where the sample size is smaller).
While all winners are notable, the following have done it in consecutive years for a decade or more: Sandals/Beaches in the all-inclusive category, 16 straight; Trafalgar Tours, 14; Royal Caribbean, 12; Schiphol, 11; Walt Disney World, 11; and Jamaica Tourist Board, 10.
Similarly, some winners have never lost since the introduction of their categories, including, Sandals/Beaches, Trafalgar, Royal Caribbean, WDW, Schiphol, Air Transat; and G Adventures and Sandals/Beaches (8x) – responsible travel; plus newbies Celebrity Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises (3x).
New winners in 2015? There’s six of them this year… so check it out!
(https://www.travelpress.com/subscription/IDEA/132815_062215_ACA)
