Travel Awards Cover 14/9/05 14:09 Page 1 brochure inside pages 14/9/05 14:19 Page 1

Introduction

Welcome to the 19th annual Guardian, Observer and For those whose livelihoods depend on , Guardian Unlimited Travel Awards. As the longest- 2004 ended on a terrible note. The devastating running independent survey of its kind, we believe tsunami which swept through the Indian Ocean was the results published in this brochure offer a unique proof of just how fragile this industry can be. But it and fascinating insight into the tastes and also served to illustrate the regenerative power of preferences of discerning travellers today. tourism. Predictions at the time that would be up and running within weeks seemed impossibly Size isn’t everything, or so they say. And once again optimistic but the cynics were proved wrong, as the results of our survey prove that, when it comes destinations like Thailand, the Maldives and Sri to choosing a holiday, our readers tend to favour the Lanka hurried to rebuild their battered infrastructure. smaller, specialist companies over the big mass market operators. The same principle applies to their The fortunes of the travel industry have always preferred destinations. If these awards were judged been particularly vulnerable to events such as purely on the number of entries, then you might natural disasters or terrorism, but the huge response expect favourites such as France and to win to these awards shows that our appetite for travel is every year. Our unique scoring system ensures that as strong as ever. We are delighted to be able to destinations are assessed on the satisfaction levels honour the very best in the industry and to reflect they deliver rather than just the number of people the views of an independent and adventurous who pass through. This can throw up some readership. interesting - and at times unexpected - results. The response to our 2005 awards survey was huge. We received nearly 27,000 completed questionnaires. The coupon was published for three weeks in the Guardian, The Observer and on Guardian Unlimited earlier this year asking readers about their holidays. An independent company recorded the data and, in the following pages, you can see how the responses have been translated into results tables. The scoring is straightforward, with readers being asked to rate the quality of service they received on their holidays by ticking one of four boxes: excellent, good, fair or poor. Each company's score was translated into a percentage, allowing us to compare small companies – assessed on fewer holidaymakers’ ratings – with larger rivals. A threshold of 50 questionnaires was set in the main Andy Pietrasik, Joanne O’Connor Gwyn Topham, categories, with a sliding scale for those categories Travel editor, Travel editor, Travel editor, obtaining a smaller number of total responses. The Guardian The Observer Guardian Unlimited

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Best travel agent Best online booking service

The big online sellers are closing the gap, but Despite achieving a higher satisfaction rating, takes the award for the fourth time last year’s winner is overtaken by eight others, in five years. including winner Exodus’s site - simple and with clear instructions.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings last year's coupons % score rankings rankings 1. Trailfinders 1 739 90.6 1. exodus.co.uk - 82 89.3 2. STA Travel 8 945 88.6 2. jet2.com - 51 88.7 3. Flight Centre 9 194 86.9 3. portland-direct.co.uk - 54 87.5 4. Expedia.co.uk 7 365 86.4 4. virginholidays.co.uk 9 187 86.4 5. Bath Travel - 54 85.7 5. exploreworldwide.co.uk 7 73 86.0 6. Travelcare - 507 85.4 6. statravel.co.uk 20 215 85.9 7. Network - 57 84.2 7. thomascook.com 3 220 85.6 8. Travelbag 4 182 84.1 8. canadianaffair.com - 58 84.1 9. Thomas Cook 5 1,041 83.1 9. airline-network.co.uk 1 127 83.9 10. Dial A Flight.co.uk - 72 82.6 10. expedia.co.uk 8 2,079 83.6 11. Lastminute.com 14 302 82.0 11. brittany-ferries.co.uk 16 83 83.4 12. British Airways 12. eurocamp.co.uk - 58 83.2 Holidays 6 123 80.7 13. .com 5 1,202 83.2 13. Going Places 13 289 80.0 14. directholidays.co.uk - 53 83.0 14. Bridge The World 3 61 79.5 15. octupustravel.com 13 89 82.9 15. Opodo - 62 79.4 16. ferrysavers.com - 52 82.7 16. MyTravel - 52 79.3 17. britishairways.com 11 603 82.6 17. Airmiles Travel 18. travelbag.co.uk 6 94 82.5 Company 12 72 79.2 19. klm.com - 53 82.1 18. Thomson 11 271 78.8 20. flybmi.com 2 214 81.9 19. 10 420 78.6 21. firstchoice.co.uk - 136 81.3 20. First Choice 15 266 78.2 22. opodo.co.uk 10 454 81.1 21. Ebookers 17 129 74.8 23. eurostar.com 14 120 80.8 22. Airtours Holidays - 78 70.8 24. travelocity.co.uk 15 143 80.4 Total 6,281 83.9 25. lastminute.com 17 987 80.3 26. thomson.co.uk - 176 80.3 27. mytravel.com 21 82 79.6 28. airmiles.co.uk - 86 78.8 29. ebookers.com 19 491 76.7 30. ryanair.com 12 651 76.3 31. bargainholidays.com 22 54 75.5 Total 9,027 82.0

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Best

Are African tailor-made travel specialists Rainbow Tours becoming the new Laskarina - holding on to the crown year after year? Second place Vintage are the only new face in the closely fought top ten.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings 1. Rainbow Tours 1 162 99.1 36. Canadian Affair - 50 82.5 2. Vintage Travel - 70 98.9 37. Portland Holidays 3. Laskarina Holidays 2 124 96.8 Direct - 68 82.0 4. Inntravel 3 113 96.0 38. Thomas Cook 19 948 81.7 5. Tapestry Holidays 5 121 93.2 39. Cresta Holidays 29 60 81.7 6. Neilson 6 153 92.5 40. Eurostar - 71 80.6 7. Canvas Holidays 4 111 92.1 41. Qantas - 58 80.6 8. Journey 42. British Airways Latin America 9 64 91.0 Holidays 33 471 80.2 9. VFB Holidays 8 80 90.9 43. Direct Holidays - 92 78.5 10. Trailfinders 10 233 90.8 44. Hayes & Jarvis - 51 77.9 11. Emirates Tours - 53 90.6 45. Kosmar 25 112 75.9 12. Exodus 14 196 90.6 46. Crystal Holidays 34 151 75.3 13. The Imaginative 47. Panorama Holidays - 86 75.0 Traveller - 55 90.5 48. Thomson 36 984 74.9 14. The Adventure 49. First Choice 39 476 74.6 Company - 53 89.6 50. 41 101 73.8 15. Ramblers Holidays 16 66 89.0 51. Manos Holidays 40 113 73.0 16. Sunvil 15 67 88.8 52. Going Places - 55 72.7 17. Explore 12 266 88.7 53. Airtours Holidays 44 375 69.9 18. P&O Ferries - 84 88.7 54. MyTravel 45 123 69.3 19. Cox & Kings - 50 88.5 Total 8,928 82.8 20. Saga Holidays 7 115 88.3 21. Simply Travel 18 242 88.0 included where it is possible to book flights 22. STA Travel 30 288 87.6 and accommodation 23. The Travel Collection - 56 87.5 24. Mark Warner 13 85 87.4 25. Virgin Holidays 32 350 86.1 26. Voyages Jules Verne 26 204 86.0 27. Kuoni 22 379 86.0 28. Keycamp Holidays - 58 84.5 29. Page & Moy 28 53 84.4 30. Eurocamp 17 118 83.5 31. Magic Travel Group 23 77 83.4 32. Bridge The World - 62 83.1 33. Brittany Ferries 21 64 82.8 34. Travelsphere - 71 82.8 35. Inghams Travel 27 140 82.5

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Best short break company Best ski company

Inntravel take the prize for the third successive year, With fewer coupons returned in this category, a while VFB hang on to second spot again. couple of bad scores can make all the difference. Our top three have maintained the highest ratings for the second year running.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings last year's coupons % score rankings rankings 1. Inntravel 1 67 95.5 1. Inntravel 1 28 92.0 2. VFB Holidays 2 86 91.9 2. Waymark Holidays 2 47 91.5 3. STA Travel - 65 91.2 3. Neilson 3 284 90.9 4. Voyages Jules Verne 16 60 87.5 4. Virgin Holidays - 22 86.4 5. Thomas Cook 3 197 85.7 5. Club Mediteranee - 20 86.3 6. Short Breaks 12 69 85.1 6. Mark Warner 5 85 86.2 7. Virgin Holidays - 53 84.9 7. Ski Beat - 22 84.1 8. Cresta Holidays 5 173 84.3 8. Ski World 7 79 82.9 9. Bridge Travel 9 97 83.3 9. Eurostar - 29 81.9 10. Aer Lingus - 82 83.2 10. Thomas Cook 9 37 80.4 11. Centre Parcs 6 70 82.5 11. Inghams Travel 10 230 79.9 12. Eurostar 15 446 82.2 12. Iglu 13 45 77.2 13. BMI 11 214 82.1 13. Equity Travel 4 31 76.6 14. 7 96 82.0 14. Crystal Holidays 15 279 72.0 15. British Airways 15. Panorama 12 24 71.9 Holidays 14 565 81.4 16. First Choice 19 82 69.5 16. Brittany Ferries 10 94 81.4 17. Thomson 17 109 67.9 17. The Airmiles 18. Airtours Holidays 18 55 67.7 Travel Company 13 149 81.2 Total 1,508 79.8 18. Air France - 58 80.6 19. P&O Ferries - 69 79.7 20. City Breaks - 51 77.5 21. Thomson 19 113 76.6 22. KLM - 57 75.0 Total 2,931 82.9

Airlines included where it is possible to book flights and accommodation

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Best spa break Best cruise line

The top two swap places as Ragdale Hall in The cheaper competition has made little inroad Leicestershire edges out last year’s winner, in this luxury category, with the top ten almost Seaham Hall unchanged. Celebrity Cruises wins for the first time.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings last year's coupons % score rankings rankings 1. Ragdale Hall 1. Celebrity Cruises 5 38 92.8 Health Hydro 2 156 96.5 2. 2. Seaham Hall Discovery Cruising 2 21 91.7 & Serenity Spa 1 30 95.0 3. Fred. Olsen 3. Hoar Cross Hall 5 35 89.3 Cruise Lines 3 47 91.5 4. The Sanctuary - 28 86.6 4. Royal Caribbean 5. The Bath Spa Hotel 8 42 86.3 International 4 79 91.1 6. 5. 1 82 90.6 Health Resorts 4 221 83.9 6. Norwegian Cruise 7. Center Parcs 3 79 83.5 Line 7 61 89.3 Total 591 88.4 7. Voyage Of Discovery 9 24 87.5 8. - 45 87.2 9. P&O Cruises 10 275 86.8 10. Airtours 6 43 86.1 11. Carnival Cruise Lines - 21 82.1 12. 8 34 81.6 13. DFDS Seaways - 22 80.7 14. - 21 79.8 15. Thomson Cruises 11 56 76.8 Total 869 87.1

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Best long-haul airline

There have only been two players in this category for years now, although Japan Airlines comes close for the first time. Singapore Airlines beats Emirates - again.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings 1. Singapore Airlines 1 624 93.4 33. Air India 27 89 64.3 2. Emirates 2 589 87.5 34. - 147 64.1 3. Japan Airlines - 111 87.2 35. Varig 29 59 62.7 4. Virgin 8 1,395 86.3 36. US Airways - 72 62.2 5. Malaysia Airlines 4 376 85.8 37. Alitalia - 53 61.3 6. Thai Airways 7 245 85.2 38. Excel Airways - 81 61.1 7. Aer Lingus - 58 84.9 39. MyTravel - 194 60.2 8. BMI - 137 84.7 40. First Choice - 135 58.7 9. Cathay Pacific 3 213 84.4 41. Monarch 32 313 57.9 10. Qantas 9 514 83.2 42. Cubana - 54 57.9 11. Air New Zealand 5 211 82.7 43. Iberia 31 227 48.8 12. Qatar Airways 10 101 82.7 Total 12,887 77.6 13. SriLankan Airways 6 154 82.5 14. Thomas Cook - 142 78.7 15. British Airways 12 2,937 78.5 16. KLM 14 442 76.5 17. Kenya Airways 11 90 75.6 18. Lufthansa 17 236 75.4 19. EgyptAir 24 71 74.7 20. Swiss - 50 74.5 21. United Airlines 20 336 74.2 22. Continental Airlines 25 309 74.1 23. Eva Air 16 61 73.8 24. Air 13 293 73.6 25. South African Airways 15 241 73.1 26. American Airlines 19 765 71.8 27. Royal Jordanian - 55 70.5 28. Gulf Air 21 159 70.0 29. Air France 23 284 69.2 30. Royal Air Maroc - 74 66.2 31. Air - 63 65.9 32. Delta Airlines 28 127 64.4

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Best short-haul airline Best business airline

The good news is it’s not just : this year’s Consolation here for Emirates, beating last year’s winner now flies from the UK to a host of winner Virgin into second. Mediterranean airports.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings last year's coupons % score rankings rankings 1. Air Berlin 3 102 86.0 1. Emirates - 62 91.9 2. Finnair 1 63 84.9 2. Virgin 1 223 89.4 3. Jet2.com 2 307 84.8 3. Lufthansa 2 128 83.6 4. Icelandair 14 92 82.1 4. BMI 3 536 79.8 5. FlyGlobespan - 50 81.0 5. British Airways 4 2,328 78.8 6. Thomas Cook 5 204 79.9 6. United Airlines 6 61 77.9 7. Air Malta - 91 79.4 7. Flybe - 85 76.5 8. Czech Airlines 16 147 79.3 8. KLM 8 189 74.2 9. British Airways 8 3,380 78.6 9. American Airlines 5 71 73.6 10. SAS 6 208 78.4 10. Easyjet 9 536 71.9 11. Aer Lingus 15 210 78.3 11. Ryanair 10 194 69.6 12. Lufthansa 11 281 78.0 Total 4,413 78.2 13. BMI 10 1,353 77.8 14. Swiss 7 106 77.6 15. Austrian Airlines Group - 57 76.8 16. Easyjet 18 4,269 75.5 17. Flybe 17 300 75.4 18. Astraeus - 66 75.4 19. Tap Air Portugal 9 108 75.0 20. KLM 13 390 74.6 21. Air France 21 250 74.5 22. Olympic Holidays 26 69 72.1 23. ThomsonFly - 569 71.6 24. Monarch 22 585 70.9 25. MyTravel 29 245 70.2 26. Excel Airways 20 228 70.2 27. Ryanair 24 2,821 69.2 28. First Choice - 396 69.1 29. Airtours Holidays - 132 66.7 30. Alitalia 25 217 64.4 31. Iberia 27 186 63.3 Total 17,482 74.9

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Best ferry company Best train company

A new winner: Superfast, who operates routes in Traditionally a category in which the cross-Channel the North Sea, the Baltic and the Adriatic. operators and SNCF trounce the British train companies. But while many are still scoring pitifully, our winners show that rail travel can still be a pleasure here - at least if you’re going to Hull.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings last year's coupons % score rankings rankings 1. Superfast Ferries - 66 88.3 1. Hull Trains - 57 90.4 2. Swansea Cork 2. Eurotunnel 1 168 86.6 Ferries - 98 87.0 3. SNCF - 51 83.3 3. Stena Line 10 901 84.9 4. Eurostar 3 1,148 82.9 4. North Sea Ferries - 64 82.8 5. Chiltern Railways 2 259 80.7 5. DFDS Seaways 8 111 81.5 6. Great North Eastern 6. Brittany Ferries 1 903 80.5 Railway 4 2,433 66.9 7. Norfolkline 3 86 80.2 7. C2C - 63 64.7 8. Irish Ferries 7 278 79.9 8. Midland Mainline 8 806 63.2 9. Caledonian 9. Anglia Railways 7 165 62.6 Macbrayne 2 224 79.4 10. One - 217 61.6 10. Wightlink 5 152 79.0 11. First Great Eastern 6 78 61.2 11. Hoverspeed 11 207 74.6 12. First Scotrail 5 342 61.2 12. P&O Ferries 4 1,953 74.3 13. West Anglia 13. Seacat 12 112 74.1 Great Northern 9 338 60.5 14. Seafrance 9 343 73.6 14. Transpennine 15. Red Funnel Ferries 6 52 72.6 Express - 61 59.8 16. Condor Ferries 13 89 70.8 15. Virgin Trains 11 3,763 58.7 17. Isle Of Man Steam 16. Wessex Trains - 67 58.2 Packet Company - 56 70.5 17. First Great Western 14 1,558 57.3 Total 5,695 78.1 18. South West Trains 18 1,093 56.7 19. Underground 15 176 54.3 20. Thameslink 20 327 54.0 21. First North Western 17 151 53.2 22. Arriva 16 244 53.1 23. South Eastern Trains - 418 52.5 24. Southern - 603 52.2 25. Central Trains 19 250 51.0 26. Silverlink Trains 12 169 50.2 Total 15,005 62.0

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Best car hire Best UK hotel

Auto Europe break Arnold Clark’s two-year grip For the second year running, the brand on the title. has proved a firm favourite with our readers.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings last year's coupons % score rankings rankings 1. Auto Europe 6 55 85.9 1. Hotel Du Vin & Bistro 1 302 91.6 2. Arnold Clark 1 62 83.1 2. 42 The Calls - 56 88.4 3. Carjet - 73 82.2 3. The Balmoral, 4. Holiday Autos 4 650 79.9 - 51 87.8 5. Enterprise 4. The Bath Spa Hotel 6 88 87.5 Rent-A-Car 3 281 79.6 5. 2 424 87.0 6. Thrifty Car Rental 2 149 77.9 6. De Vere Hotels 9 165 83.5 7. Sixt 10 113 77.7 7. City Inn 5 80 82.8 8. Dollar Rent a Car 14 187 77.3 8. YHA 3 140 82.3 9. Avis 7 1,797 75.1 9. Sheraton Hotels 10. Budget 13 455 75.1 & Resorts - 56 81.7 11. Alamo Rent A Car 5 524 74.9 10. The De Vere 12. National Car Rental 9 254 74.1 Grand 10 83 81.3 13. Hertz 11 1,956 74.0 11. Marriott 8 458 80.7 14. Europcar 12 1,253 73.8 12. & Resorts 4 227 80.2 15. Easycar 16 387 67.5 13. Copthorne Hotels 16 115 80.0 Total 8,196 75.1 14. Hotels & Resorts 7 134 78.7 15. 14 183 76.6 16. Hilton 11 879 76.0 17. 19 988 73.7 18. Premier Travel Inn 21 531 72.9 19. Jurys Doyle Hotels 17 212 71.3 20. 15 239 70.8 21. 20 348 69.2 22. Quality - 79 69.0 23. Comfort Inn 25 69 68.8 24. Jarvis - 263 68.8 25. 18 245 68.6 26. Moat House Hotels 23 170 68.1 27. Brittania Adelphi Hotel - 74 67.6 29. 24 624 67.2 29. 26 92 59.2 Total 7,375 75.6

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Best overseas hotel Favourite UK city

High marks all round, with the same top three Tastes don’t change much in this category: six vying for the prize for the third year running, years in a row for - and little movement and Shangri-La taking the honours again. bar the rise and fall of M3 cathedral belt rivals Salisbury and Winchester.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings last year's coupons % score rankings rankings 1. Shangri-La 1. Edinburgh 1 2,225 90.1 Hotels & Resorts 1 124 94.2 2. Belfast 5 312 86.8 2. Four Seasons 3. Newcastle Hotels & Resorts 2 70 93.9 Upon Tyne 3 608 86.3 3. Of Spain 3 79 93.7 4. 4 911 85.8 4. 4 149 91.3 5. 2 901 85.5 5. Iberostar 6. Durham 6 124 85.5 Hotels & Resorts - 60 90.0 7. Bath 8 943 84.8 6. Westin Hotels 8. Chester 10 246 83.5 & Resorts 6 72 89.9 9. Winchester 22 108 83.1 7. InterContinental 10. & Hove 12 834 82.6 Hotels & Resorts 8 136 89.5 11. 11 183 82.2 8. Marriott 10 364 89.0 12. Lincoln 9 104 82.2 9. & Resorts - 68 88.6 13. 15 1,117 82.1 10. Swissôtel Hotels 14. 19 497 81.9 &Resorts - 67 88.4 15. 14 375 81.5 11. Le Meridien 5 200 88.3 16. Inverness 17 94 81.1 12. 7 99 87.4 17. 16 576 80.9 13. Crowne Plaza 18. 20 706 80.7 Hotels & Resorts 13 166 87.2 19. 13 479 80.6 14. Radisson Hotels 20. Oxford 18 380 80.5 &Resorts 12 284 86.8 21. Canterbury 21 118 79.2 15. Hilton 9 494 86.6 22. 23 180 79.2 16. Sheraton Hotels 23. London 24 3,966 78.3 &Resorts 11 233 86.5 24. 26 660 76.9 17. Luxor Las Vegas - 58 82.8 25. Salisbury 7 56 75.9 18. Golden Tulip Hotels - 52 82.2 26. 27 120 75.0 19. Novotel 16 207 80.0 27. Swansea - 55 74.6 20. Holiday Inn 17 435 79.1 28. Sheffield 25 160 74.5 21. 14 101 78.5 29. 28 197 73.5 22. YHA - 266 77.6 30. Leicester - 61 71.7 23. Jurys Doyle Hotels - 56 76.3 31. Plymouth 30 99 70.0 24. Best Western 18 347 76.0 32. 31 55 68.6 25. Ibis 19 282 75.4 33. Bradford - 54 67.1 26. Comfort Inn - 165 73.2 34. - 52 66.4 27. Ramada Worldwide - 65 72.7 35. Portsmouth 29 67 66.0 28. Campanile 20 61 68.0 Total 17,623 82.1 29. - 59 64.4 Total 4,819 83.3

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Favourite overseas city

An Australian winner again - but this time it’s Perth, from nowhere, just pipping perennial favourite Sydney.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings 1. Perth - 71 96.8 41. Munich 50 103 90.8 2. Sydney 2 462 96.7 42. Budapest 46 332 90.7 3. Hong Kong 4 188 95.7 43. Florence 33 245 90.4 4. Krakow 30 86 95.6 44. Madrid 35 304 90.3 5. Tallinn - 56 95.5 45. Boston 44 171 90.2 6. Cape Town 7 325 95.5 46. Copenhagen 39 178 90.2 7. Buenos Aires 5 105 95.2 47. Dubai 38 147 90.0 8. Rio De Janeiro 13 86 95.1 48. Washington Dc - 69 89.5 9. Tokyo 8 103 94.9 49. Oslo 52 70 89.3 10. Christchurch - 53 94.8 50. Amsterdam 40 706 89.2 11. Helsinki 24 70 94.3 51. Kuala Lumpur 31 125 89.0 12. Havana 3 165 94.2 52. Bilbao 49 125 89.0 13. 11 965 94.2 53. Cork - 77 89.0 14. Chicago 19 93 94.1 54. Warsaw - 51 88.7 15. Ljubljana - 62 94.0 55. Las Vegas 45 158 88.5 16. San Franciso 15 275 93.9 56. 60 368 88.3 17. Dubrovnik 28 86 93.9 57. Auckland 27 124 87.9 18. Melbourne 1 134 93.7 58. Paris 48 1,378 87.8 19. Seville 36 167 93.6 59. Marrakesh 32 146 87.7 20. 14 158 93.5 60. Beijing - 83 87.4 21. Stockholm 17 136 93.4 61. Salzburg - 67 87.3 22. Singapore 6 162 93.4 62. Palma 43 157 86.8 23. 16 860 93.3 63. Athens - 168 85.9 24. Granada 41 102 92.9 64. 63 102 85.8 25. Istanbul 23 77 92.9 65. Lille 53 96 85.2 26. Venice 22 503 92.8 66. Nice 59 194 84.7 27. Barcelona 21 1,405 92.7 67. Brussels 56 227 83.7 28. Verona 10 65 92.7 68. Geneva 58 88 83.5 29. 20 127 92.5 69. Malaga 62 90 82.8 30. Berlin 9 395 92.3 70. Cairo 54 119 82.8 31. Cologne - 51 92.2 71. Delhi 55 100 82.8 32. Bruges 37 157 92.0 72. Colombo 66 58 82.3 33. St Petersburg 47 56 92.0 73. Funchal 57 70 82.1 34. Reykjavik 12 94 91.8 74. Los Angeles 51 110 81.8 35. Orlando - 136 91.7 75. Milan 64 87 80.5 36. Lisbon 42 190 91.6 76. Naples 65 92 80.4 37. Rome 34 649 91.5 77. Palermo - 61 80.3 38. 25 138 91.5 78. Alicante - 52 71.2 39. Valencia - 92 91.3 Total 16,380 90.8 40. Bangkok 29 377 91.1 11 brochure inside pages 14/9/05 14:19 Page 12

Favourite European country Favourite long-haul country

Iceland is back on top after being squeezed out Always adventurous, our readers have voted four by Slovenia last year. And the UK gets its highest new countries into the top five. Ecuador, with its position yet. natural jewels the Galapagos Islands, comes top.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings last year's coupons % score rankings rankings 1. Iceland 2 141 96.8 1. Ecuador - 67 98.5 2. Slovenia 1 184 94.3 2. Namibia - 60 98.3 3. Finland 3 149 93.3 3. New Zealand 1 725 97.3 4. Sweden 8 265 92.0 4. Maldives - 183 96.5 5. Croatia 10 333 91.7 5. Costa Rica - 74 96.3 6. 6 362 91.6 6. Vietnam 4 137 95.8 7. Norway 4 222 91.4 7. Argentina 8 159 95.8 8. 7 469 91.3 8. Cambodia - 103 95.6 9. Australia 3 1,616 95.6 9. 11 3,016 91.0 10. Peru 2 190 95.4 10. Czech Republic 5 732 91.0 11. Tanzania - 94 95.2 11. 9 359 90.4 12. Japan 9 257 95.0 12. UK 28 869 89.6 13. Thailand 6 734 95.0 13. Hungary 24 321 89.1 14. South Africa 5 663 94.9 14. Portugal & Madeira 19 973 89.0 15. Sri Lanka 12 287 94.8 15. Denmark 15 190 88.7 16. Canada 15 837 94.2 16. Estonia 12 72 88.5 17. Cuba 10 397 93.8 17. 16 1,589 88.5 18. Nepal - 76 93.8 18. Germany 20 895 88.0 19. Indonesia - 135 93.7 19. Netherlands 18 673 87.3 20. Malaysia 18 312 93.4 20. Spain & Canaries 22 3,995 87.3 21. Brazil 7 201 93.0 21. France & Corsica 14 4,212 86.7 22. Jordan - 71 92.6 22. 27 272 86.5 23. Singapore 17 130 92.5 23. Belgium 23 413 85.7 24. Chile 11 65 92.3 24. Russia 17 101 81.4 25. St Lucia - 66 92.1 25. - 62 80.7 26. Kenya 22 147 91.8 26. Malta 25 137 80.5 27. Mauritius 14 107 91.6 28. Mexico 21 334 91.5 Total 21,006 88.6 29. India 19 738 91.0 30. 23 199 90.5 31. China & Hong Kong 16 456 90.2 32. Antigua - 79 89.2 33. 13 124 88.7 34. Dubai & UAE - 210 88.7 35. 20 367 88.6 36. USA 24 3,722 87.9 37. Trinidad & Tobago - 83 87.1 38. Jamaica - 87 86.5 39. Gambia - 50 83.5 40. Dominican Republic - 121 82.6 41. - 66 76.5 Total 14,529 92.0 12 brochure inside pages 14/9/05 14:19 Page 13

Best guide book

Dorling Kindersley’s eye-catching guides win for the second year running.

rankings last year's coupons % score rankings 1. Dorling Kindersley 1 1,161 90.3 2. Bradt Travel Guides - 124 89.1 3. Footprint Travel Guides 2 404 88.6 4. St. Martin's Press - 51 87.3 5. Prentice Hall & IBD - 61 86.1 6. Penguin Books Ltd - 922 86.0 7. Thomas Cook Publishing - 57 86.0 8. Cadogan Guides 3 132 85.8 9. Lonely Planet Publications 8 6,364 84.6 10. Rough Guides 6 5,209 84.3 11. Fodor's Travel Publications - 156 83.2 12. Michelin 4 265 82.9 13. Insight Guides - 206 81.9 14. Berlitz Ltd 10 139 80.9 15. AA Publishing 9 472 78.6 Total 15,723 84.9

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Best brochure of the year

Winner: Original Travel Runner up: Classic Cottages

Original Travel has succeeded in blurring the boundaries between brochure, magazine and coffee table book. This is a brochure you’d relish spending time reading. Innovative design and stunning, unconventional and dynamic photography create a publication that makes it impossible not to start dreaming about the destinations featured. Judges called it ‘genuinely inspiring’ and said the picture layouts worked ‘almost like a storyboard’. They also liked the fact that price information was on the same page as the holiday details, and the brochure’s unusual size and square shape. The runner up was a very different brochure – Classic Cottages 2005. Judges felt the company had brilliantly reinvented the self-catering cottage brochure, traditionally crammed with hundreds of tiny and unappealing snaps. Classic Cottages has cleverly used fantastic lifestyle photographs, with lots of people to bring life and holiday atmosphere, while the property listings are very clear and functional. Great cover shot too. Think Sicily and Exclusive Escapes (Turkey) were also commended for their clean designs, quality photography and clearly set out information.

Judges: Joanne O’Connor, travel editor, The Observer; Tom Robbins, deputy travel editor, The Observer; Andy Pietrasik, travel editor, the Guardian; Gwyn Topham, travel editor, Guardian Unlimited; Sarah Haberson, art director, The Guide; Briony Grogan, press and publicity manager, Lonely Planet.

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Best tour operator website of the year

Winner: Inntravel www.inntravel.co.uk Runner up: Original Travel www.originaltravel.co.uk

For the second year running, this goes to Inntravel, www.inntravel.co.uk, for a site that doesn’t appear to have rested on its laurels. It demonstrates the company’s passion and sells its holidays well, incorporating a tremendous amount of information. It’s packaged in an attractive, lively and usable way: we found features such as the holiday finder effective and engaging. Original Travel’s site, www.originaltravel.co.uk, looks enviably stylish but perhaps at the cost of being easy to use - our testers found it very slow to load. The judges also liked Exclusive Escapes, www.hiddenturkey.com.

Judges: Simon Waldman, director digital publishing, GNL; Akemi Takagi, designer, Guardian Unlimited; Gwyn Topham, travel editor, Guardian Unlimited; Andy Pietrasik, travel editor, the Guardian; Joanne O’Connor, travel editor, The Observer. 15 brochure inside pages 14/9/05 14:19 Page 16

Team contacts

Editorial

The Guardian 020 7713 4411 The Observer 020 7713 4068 Guardian Unlimited 020 7713 4328

Guardian.co.uk/travel

Advertising

Display London 020 7239 9551 Manchester 0161 908 3823 Edinburgh 0131 272 2751

Classified London 020 7611 9010

Guardian.co.uk/adinfo

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