The 2016 awards has seen an additional five categories added, and a record 7,957 responses — up nearly 2,000 from last year

Friday, 21 October 2016

The shortlist has been announced for the second annual National Geographic Traveller (UK) Reader Awards 2016, in association with Qatar Tourism Authority. The 2016 awards has seen an additional five categories added, and a record 7,957 responses — up nearly 2,000 from last year.

Readers of one of the UK’s best-loved travel magazines voted for their favourite destination, airline, tour operator and more, with the winners announced during a ceremony in London on 29 November and in the Jan/Feb 2017 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).

Pat Riddell, editor of National Geographic Traveller, said: “We’re very excited to reveal the shortlist for our second Reader Awards. Our readers are a knowledgeable, sophisticated, well-travelled bunch and it’s really important for us to tap into their views as well as reward the destinations and companies that matter.

“The winners will be announced in just over a month but in the meantime I’d like to congratulate all the finalists for being so highly rated and coveted by thousands of our readers.”

Voters were automatically entered into a prize draw. Holiday prizes included a seven-night cruise of northern Iceland on board a brand new, boutique 17-cabin yacht with Variety Cruises; and a seven-night ski trip to Austria, courtesy of VIP SKI. An Apple iPad mini 2, two Amazon Kindles and 20 National Geographic Traveller (UK) subscriptions were also up for grabs.

natgeotraveller.co.uk/readerawards


2016 READER AWARDS SHORTLIST:

SHORT-HAUL COUNTRY
France
Italy
Spain

LONG-HAUL COUNTRY
Australia
New Zealand
USA

SHORT-HAUL CITY
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Rome

LONG-HAUL CITY
New York
San Francisco
Sydney

SHORT-HAUL AIRLINE
British Airways
EasyJet
Ryanair

LONG-HAUL AIRLINE
British Airways
Emirates
Virgin Atlantic

OVERSEAS HOTEL GROUP
Four Seasons
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Marriott

UK HOTEL GROUP
Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Premier Inn
Radisson Blu

OVERSEAS ATTRACTION
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Grand Canyon, USA
Great Barrier Reef, Australia

UK ATTRACTION
British Museum
Eden Project
Edinburgh Castle

TOUR OPERATOR
Exodus
Kuoni
Virgin Holidays

TRAVEL TV PROGRAMME
Great Barrier Reef, David Attenborough (BBC)
Greece, Simon Reeves (BBC)
Walking the Himalayas, Levison Wood (Channel 4)

TRAVEL BOOK
Heat, by Ranulph Fiennes
London Overground, by Iain Sinclair
The Road to Little Dribbling, by Bill Bryson

TRAVEL BLOG
A Lady in London
Budget Traveller
Everything Everywhere

NEW GREEN INITIATIVE
ABTA – Make Holidays Greener campaign
TripAdvisor GreenLeaders
Wilderness Safaris – Rhino Conservation Project

RAIL JOURNEY
Glacier Express, Switzerland
Rocky Mountaineer, Canada
West Highland Line, Scotland

NEW CULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Lincoln Castle (renovation), UK
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The Musée de l'Homme, Paris

CRUISE LINE
P&O Cruises
National Geographic Cruises
Royal Caribbean

FAMILY TRAVEL COMPANY
Thomas Cook
Thomson
Virgin Holidays

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO TRAVEL
To be announced


Sponsors of the National Geographic Traveller Reader Awards 2016 are:

HEADLINE SPONSOR
Qatar Tourism Authority
Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) works with stakeholders to promote the development of a sustainable and mature tourism sector, positioning the country as a leading tourism destination.
qatartourism.gov.qa

CATEGORY SPONSORS
Crystal Cruises
Crystal Cruises is the World’s Most Awarded Luxury Cruise Line™, having earned more “World’s Best” accolades than any other cruise line, hotel, or resort in history. crystalcruises.co.uk

Barrhead Travel
Established in 1975, Barrhead Travel specialises in all types of travel, from far-flung worldwide adventures and cruises to city escapes and summer-sun getaways. barrheadtravel.co.uk

CEWE PHOTOBOOK
Bring your best holiday photographs and happiest travel moments to life in a beautiful CEWE PHOTOBOOK and create a personalised keepsake you’ll always treasure. cewe-photoworld.com/photo-books

Swhype
Swhype is the creative motion agency — experts in social video and film content for global brands and businesses. swhype.com

LIVE 365
We treasure our members, ensuring they get their choice of the exclusive, quality products they desire at the very best price possible, guaranteed. Our exclusive member-only offers are industry leading and we allow members to earn ‘savings credits’ that they can use to save even more — all with the friendly, personalised service our esteemed members should expect. live-365.global/en

For more information, please visit natgeotraveller.co.uk/readerawards


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NOTES
National Geographic Traveller (UK) is published under license by APL Media Limited, from National Geographic Partners LLC in Washington, D.C. It was launched in December 2010, and is one of 17 local-language editions. The magazine is also available in Australia, China, Czech Republic, France, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Latin America, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia and Spain. The 180-page travel and lifestyle magazine is packed full of you-are-there photography, authentic travel experiences and inspiring narratives. natgeotraveller.co.uk

About National Geographic Travel (USA)
National Geographic Travel creates authentic, meaningful and engaging travel experiences through National Geographic Traveler magazine; National Geographic Expeditions; National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World; digital travel content; travel books; maps; and travel photography programmes. National Geographic Traveler (six issues per year) has 16 international editions. National Geographic Expeditions, the travel programme of the Society, offers a variety of unique travel experiences led by top experts to more than 80 destinations across all seven continents. National Geographic Travel books bring readers curated travel advice, photography and insider tips. nationalgeographic.com/travel

About National Geographic Partners LLC
National Geographic Partners LLC, a joint venture between National Geographic Society and 21st Century Fox, combines National Geographic television channels with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic Studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, location-based entertainment, archival sales, catalog, licensing and e-commerce businesses. A portion of the proceeds from National Geographic Partners LLC will be used to fund science, exploration, conservation and education through significant ongoing contributions to the work of the National Geographic Society. nationalgeographic.com

CONTACT:

For editorial enquiries:
editorial@natgeotraveller.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7253 9906

Pat Riddell, editor
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7253 9906
pat.riddell@natgeotraveller.co.uk

Maria Pieri, editorial director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7253 9906
maria.pieri@natgeotraveller.co.uk

Matthew Jackson, managing director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7253 9909
matthew.jackson@natgeotraveller.co.uk

Anthony Leyens, CEO
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7253 9909
anthony.leyens@natgeotraveller.co.uk