Shortlist for three judged Silver-i awards announced ahead of the 2020 Silver Travel Virtual Awards on Tuesday 15 September
The ‘Breakthrough’ award marks the most outstanding Product Development or Innovation in the last 12 months, while the ‘Footprint’ award will be won by the Best Responsible or Sustainable Travel Initiative, and the ‘Paper’ award will be presented to the company running the Best Travel Advertisement in the consumer or trade press over the last year.
From an impressive and varied set of entries, the judges have drawn up their shortlists ahead of the winners being announced as one of the highlights of the 2020 Silver Travel Awards, which in the current circumstances, will become a virtual event for the first time. As originally planned, the Awards will be hosted by the inimitable Gyles Brandreth at The Wallace Collection in London.
Debbie Marshall, managing director of Silver Travel Advisor, the Awards’ organiser, said:
“The Silver-i Awards have attracted a record number of entries this year, with the three separate Product Development, Sustainability and Advertising awards meaning that entrants could focus on specific initiatives and campaigns designed for the over 50s sector, a number of which demonstrate a really creative and proactive response to the challenges of Covid-19.
This year had been unlike any other and it’s been inspiring to see how resourceful and imaginative so many travel companies have been in the face of such tough conditions, summoning their best ideas, putting them into immediate practice and getting measurable results.
Whittling down the entries to the shortlists has been especially hard this year – there is so much energy, determination and fresh-thinking out there.”
The shortlist for the Silver-i Footprint Award for the Best Responsible or Sustainable Travel is:
- Intrepid Travel – for their ‘Comfort Travel’ give-back to local communities
- Hurtigruten – for their hybrid-powered expedition ships
- The APT Travel Group – for their OneTomorrow Charitable foundation
- Variety Cruises – for their beach clean-ups and sustainability focus
- Globus – for their Global Task Force bringing sustainability to the heart of the business
- Celebrity Cruises – for their Celebrity Flora ship and other developments
The shortlist for the Silver-i Product Breakthrough Award for Outstanding Product Development or Innovation is:
- Revitalise – for respite care for disabled people and their carers during Covid-19, supporting the NHS
- Viking – for their Viking.TV daily livestreams during lockdown
- Limitless Travel – for their ‘Limitless Love’ virtual experiences created for disabled people during lockdown
- Emerald Waterways – for their development of super-yacht Emerald Azzurra
- Balkan Holidays – for their Time of Your Life brand tailored to the over 50s, including solos
- Inghams – for re-positioning Lakes & Mountains to address over 50s interests
The shortlist for the Silver-i Paper Award for the year’s Best Travel Advertisement in the consumer or trade press is as follows:
by Accord Marketing
The judging panel for the Silver-i Footprint Award featured:
- Derek Moore, Chairman, AITO
- David Winterton, Director of Marketing and Global Brand Curator, Emerald Waterways
- Kelly Cookes, Leisure Director, The Advantage Travel Partnership
- Kristina Wallen, Managing Director, Harp Wallen
- Alison Page, Director of Client Development, Global
The judging panel for the Silver-i Breakthrough Award featured:
- Derek Jones, Managing Director, Kuoni
- Sally Winfield, CEO Accord Marketing
- John Carter, Broadcaster & Journalist
- James Clarke, General Manager, Travelzoo
- John McEwan, Chairman of the Advisory Board for Pebble Travel – investors
The judging panel for the Silver-i Paper Award featured:
- Lucy Huxley, Group Editor-in-Chief, Travel Weekly
- Mark Palmer, Travel Editor, the Daily Mail
- Nicole Mason, Marketing Director, Just You
- Jeanette Harper, Director of Travel & Partnerships, Avis Budget Group
- Stuart Perl, founder & Managing Director, The Cruise Strategy Company
