EasyJet has won a prestigious World Travel Market 2014 World Travel Leaders Award in recognition of its contribution to developing the low-cost airline sector in the UK and Europe.
The airline received the coveted award today at the WTM World Travel Leaders Award ceremony. The award was presented by TTG Media Ltd Managing Director, Daniel Pearce and was collected by Director of the UK Market, Sophie Dekkers.
The Awards give WTM’s Official Media Partners – which represent key travel industry media around the world – an excellent platform to congratulate and recognise those companies and individuals that have made significant and groundbreaking contributions to travel and tourism in their region.
Three nominations from each of WTM’s media partners were judged in September by a panel of three, consisting of an independent body, a representative of WTM and the relevant media partner.
EasyJet received the award for its contribution to developing a new sector in UK travel – low-cost airlines – which opened up new routes, stimulated the launch of other new airlines and helped grow the UK outbound travel industry at large, seizing on the opportunities created by the growth of the internet.
EasyJet was launched in 1995 and rapidly expanded, including buying rival Go in 2002, giving it three new bases at Stansted, Bristol and East Midlands airports.
The company floated on the Stock Exchange in London in 2005, opened bases in Germany, France, Italy and Spain in quick succession between 2003 and 2007 and, in 2013, celebrated its promotion to the FTSE 100 and launched its 100th route from Gatwick Airport.
Reed Travel Exhibitions, Senior Director, World Travel Market, Simon Press said: “EasyJet was an integral part of spearheading low-cost flying, which has transformed the travelling habits of many people in Europe. Indirectly the launch of low-cost airlines led in the industry to the trend of ‘dynamic packaging’ and stimulated the rise in ‘do it yourself’ holidays, with consumers booking flights and holidays directly online and changing the whole face and make-up of the UK travel industry.”
Every year, World Travel Leaders Awards are presented at WTM. The full list of 2014 winners is:
Brazil: Eduardo Nascimento, President of Nascimento Turismo Operadora
China: James Liang, Chairman and CEO of Ctrip.com
India: Jehangir Katgara, Chairman & Managing Director of TBI Trail Blazer Tours India Private Limited
Italy: Venetian Villas
Portugal: André Jordan, Founder of the André Jordan Group
Russia: Association of Tour Operators
Spain: Turespaña
Travolution/technology: David Speakman, Chairman, Travel Counsellors
UK: EasyJet
Middle East: The Gulf Hotel Bahrain
USA: Roger Dow, CEO, US Travel
Canada: Air Canada
– ENDS –
About World Travel Market
World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend four-day business-to-business exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry.
More than 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international press, embark on ExCeL – London every November to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry opinion and trends at WTM.
WTM, now in its 35th year, is the event where the travel industry conducts and concludes its deals.
WTM 2013 generated more than £2 billion of travel industry contracts, revealed independent research by Fusion Communications.
WTM is owned by the world’s leading events organiser Reed Exhibitions (RE), which organises a other portfolio’s of travel industry events including IBTM Events, the world’s leading showcases for the meetings and events industry and International Luxury Travel Market events.
In 2013, RE held more than 500 events in 40 countries bringing together more than six million people from around the world generating billions of dollars in business.
Reed Exhibitions
Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) is the world’s leading provider of exhibitions in the travel and tourism industry, with a wide-ranging portfolio of 21 international events in 14 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa.
Its market-leading, business-to-business events cover all elements of travel and tourism, including leisure travel, luxury travel, meetings, events, incentives and business travel, as well as golf, ski and spa travel.
RTE is part of Reed Exhibitions.