Travel Counsellors celebrates King's Award for Enterprise for Innovation
Today, we've celebrated receiving the King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation at a special presentation ceremony held at our support team office in Manchester.
The event brought together colleagues and Travel Counsellors, with our global community joining via livestream to mark the occasion, which saw Mrs Diane Hawkins JP LLB, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, formally present the award.
The presentation follows us being named a recipient of the King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation earlier this year, marking the fourth time we've received one of the UK’s most prestigious business honours and the second time we've been recognised for Innovation. We previously received the Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2003 and awards for International Trade in 2014 and 2020.
Now in its 60th year, the King’s Awards for Enterprise are the UK’s most prestigious business awards, with Travel Counsellors one of just 185 organisations nationally to be recognised in 2026, and one only 52 for innovation. We're also proud to be one of just six businesses in Greater Manchester to have received the accolade.
The 2026 award recognises the continued evolution of our business model and our commitment to innovating with purpose. Bringing together a people-first culture, technology, data and insight, and the collective strength of our global community, our model enables travel entrepreneurs to build and grow successful businesses while delivering highly personalised service for their customers.
Technology continues to play an important role in enabling Travel Counsellors to work more productively and collaboratively, drawing on shared expertise and insight to enhance the personal service they provide. As technology and AI continue to evolve, the company remains focused on using it to enhance, rather than replace, the expertise, judgement and relationships at the heart of exceptional customer service. Because as technology changes travel, human expertise becomes more valuable.
Steve Byrne, our Global CEO, said: "It was a proud moment to celebrate this award together with colleagues and Travel Counsellors from across our global community. Being recognised for Innovation is particularly meaningful because it reflects how we continue to evolve our business, helping travel entrepreneurs build successful businesses while delivering the highly personal service their customers value.
“For us, innovation is about using technology to unlock even more of what great people can achieve. Our platform, data and increasingly AI can help our Travel Counsellors work more productively, share expertise and access useful insights, creating more time for customers and helping them grow their businesses. And as technology becomes more capable, we believe the expertise, judgement and personal care our Travel Counsellors provide will become more valuable, not less.
“To receive this recognition for the fourth time means a great deal to us and it truly does belong to our whole community. I’m incredibly grateful to every Travel Counsellor, colleague, supplier partner and customer who has contributed to our journey and continues to make Travel Counsellors such a special business.”
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