The winners of the Global Youth Travel Awards 2015 – sponsored by Else Globe – were announced in Cape Town tonight during the concluding event of this year’s World Youth and Student Travel Conference – WYSTC 2015. Having drawn an impressive number of nominations and votes, the award categories celebrate the outstanding performers within the youth, student and educational travel industry and act as a benchmark for excellence within this fast-growing sector.
David Chapman, Director General of WYSE Travel Confederation, which coordinates the awards, said: “The caliber of nominations this year across all award categories has been truly outstanding.
"As youth travel blossoms into the tourism industry’s fastest growing segment, representing approximately 23% of international tourist arrivals, it’s important to acknowledge the wealth of talent and innovation from the companies as well as individuals driving this growth.”
This year’s winners are:
THE WYSE AWARD
The WYSE award acknowledges a person or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the youth, student and educational travel industry: Michael McCarry
EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE
Winner: International Student Volunteers
Runner up: THINK Global School
Honorable mention: SAVE Volunteering
GREEN ACCOMMODATION INITIATIVE
Winner: The Backpack
Runner up: YHA New Zealand
Honorable mention: Farfuglar ses - Hostelling International (HI) Iceland | YHA England and Wales
BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN
Winner: STA Travel
Runner up: TrekAmerica
Honorable mention: Smaller Earth
OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER PROJECT
Winner: Blue Ventures Expeditions
Runner up: Pod Volunteer
Honorable mention: International Student Volunteers in collaboration with Volunteer Africa 32° South
BEST TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY PRODUCT
Winner: Tripr
Runner up: WorldPackers
Honorable mention: FundMyTravel
BEST WORK EXPERIENCE PROVIDER
Winner: Austern International
Runner up: CIEE
Honorable mention: Alliance Abroad Group | Universal Student Exchange (USE)
BEST SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY INITIATIVE
Winner: The Backpack
Runner up: LooLa Adventure Group Pte Ltd
Honorable mention: BRIDGE Foundation
BEST YOUTH TRAVEL BLOGGER
Winner: I am Aileen
Runner up: Two Monkeys Travel
Honorable mention: No Money, Will Travel
CONSUMER VOTED AWARDS
The following awards were voted for by 7,500 young travelers:
BEST YOUTH TRAVEL AIRLINE: Emirates
BEST YOUTH TRAVEL DESTINATION: London
BEST YOUTH TRAVEL ACCOMMODATION: Generator Hostels
BEST YOUTH TOUR OPERATOR: Rustic Pathways
BEST YOUTH TRAVEL AGENT: StudentUniverse
Nominations for the Global Youth Travel Awards 2016 will open next year.
