A huge congratulations to all our winners and finalists. There were hundreds of fabulous and worthy entries this year and the quality of entries was extremely high. Our panel of esteemed judges worked extremely hard to take six OutThere brands through in each category. The four “Most OutThere” award winners were selected by a panel of handpicked judges. The winners of the six OutThere awards categories were voted by OutThere readers.
The prize for each category winner is a GBP£15,000 / USD$20,000 display advertising package, in addition to fully editorialised inclusion in our awards edition of OutThere, with its front half dedicated to the Experientialist® Awards. The winners and highly commended of the ‘most OutThere initiative in community, conservation and sustainability’ share the GBP£10,000 / USD$6,500 proceeds.
Most OutThere travel brand
Winner: South Australia
South Australia has always placed their tourism emphasis on its fascinating people and spellbinding nature, celebrating an unwavering multicultural spirit (and respect for their Indigenous Peoples) that pushes the frontiers of experiential travel. They are truly grounded in an essence of diversity, discovery and discernment, not to mention responsible and sustainable travel.
Finalists:
Highly commended:
Scott Dunn
Belmond
Journeys With Purpose
San Francisco
White Desert
Most OutThere initiative in inclusive travel
Winner: Belmond
When it comes to diversity, Belmond goes the extra mile… often literally, on their Travel with Pride train journeys on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, A Belmond Train and British Pullman, A Belmond Train. They have spearheaded initiatives that showcase a true culture of inclusion in all that they do, particularly in delivering products and ideas aimed at diverse communities, while simultaneously raising money for marginalised people.
Finalists:
Highly commended:
Visit California
Discover Puerto Rico
Explora Journeys
Visit Malta
Visit Stockholm
Most OutThere champion
Joint-winner: Fred Dixon, New York City Tourism & Conventions
Fred is at the helm of one of our favourite OutThere destinations, New York City. As the CEO of the world’s biggest city destination marketing organisation, he has driven creativity and inclusivity by leading from the front. He is a dynamic and innovative tourism professional and exemplifies the NYC trope of “if you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere.”
Joint-winner: Kurt Macher, Shangri-la
Kurt is a firm believer in heartfelt, genuine hospitality for all. He is creative, (sometimes eccentric) and is someone who has thrown out the rule book on how Shangri-la should go about doing things. Moreover, he is a real champion for inclusivity, ensuring that his team and guests always feel welcome, respected and valued.
Finalists:
Anjali & Jaisal Singh, SUJAN
Christina Guggenberger, Stockholm LGBT
Karolin and Nick Troubetzkoy – Jade Mountain
Patrick Woodhead, White Desert
Most OutThere initiative in community, conservation and sustainability
Winner: Borana Lodge – All for Conservation / Borana Conservancy
Borana Lodge has pioneered a new, integrated model of responsible tourism that mitigates impact and powers uplifting local social programmes, which in turn feeds into its surrounding environment. It addresses giving back with rigorous ambition, channelling nearly a quarter of what it generates from tourism into community and conservation efforts.
Borana Lodge has been awarded £7,500 collected from entry donations; and True Travel £2,500… to further fund their projects.
Finalists:
Highly commended: True Travel – True Travel Foundation
Abercrombie & Kent – A&K Philanthropy
The Datai Langkawi – The Datai Pledge
Red Carnation Hotels – TreadRight Foundation / Make Travel Matter
Virgin Limited Edition, Mahali Mzuri – Inua Jamli
The following six categories for the Experientialist Awards celebrate the luxury travel brands, that like us, are rooted in diversity, discovery and discernment, linked to the six OutThere traveller profiles.
The Adventurer award
Winner: Miavana by Time + Tide
Miavana by Time + Tide is the way to escape the ordinary. A journey there to its castaway island just off the coast of Madagascar takes OutThere travellers to a part of the world that is lesser visited… and thrills them with adventure, culture, exploration, nature and unadulterated luxury.
Finalists:
Cookson Adventures
Eleven
Gleneagles
The Pavilions Mongolia and Himalayas
Uncruise Adventures
The Culturalist award
Winner: Villa Ardore
Villa Ardore‘s owners only began to explore Tuscany a decade ago, but in this time, they have become a really important part of the community; creating a personalised, luxurious and cultural experience, ensuring that their guests will feel just as bewitched as the owners did when they first invested in this stunning property.
Finalists:
Almae Collection
Ashford Castle
Hotel De L’Europe Amsterdam
The Rebello
The Siam
The Escapist award
Winner: FORESTIS
There is so much we can say about FORESTIS but nothing can ever come close to experiencing this place for yourself. It transcends all our basic notions of escapism, extending into unique human narratives, rituals and deeply immersive experiences rooted in nature.
Finalists:
Casa Chablé
Elegant Resorts
Il San Corrado di Noto
IZZA Marrakech
NIHI Sumba
The Hedonist award
Winner: West Hollywood
The city of West Hollywood in Los Angeles has long been a beacon for hedonism and eclectic lifestyles. It is one of the Most OutThere places in the world to stay, slay, play and party.
Finalists:
Copacabana Palace, A Belmond hotel
Shangri-La
The Slate, Phuket
Windjammer Landing
Xigera
The Insider award
Winner: cazenove + loyd
cazenove + loyd is a responsible tour operator that is all about insider access and opening the wonders of the world up to travellers, alongside pioneering travel with impact. They’ve done so for decades. With cazenove + loyd, the world seems truly unlocked.
Finalists:
Abercrombie & Kent
Black Tomato
Maisons Pariente
Scott Dunn
True Travel
The Sophisticate award
Winner: One&Only Reethi Rah
One&Only Reethi Rah is considered to be one of the very best resorts in its class, if not the best. Besides being impeccably swanky, there’s a real spirit of generosity about our winner, along with a zeal to truly understand and personalise the stay for each guest, not to mention delivering pure, unadulterated luxury.
Finalists:
Crystal Cruises
Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River
J.K. Place Capri
Raffles Singapore
Six Senses