British online newspaper, The Independent, has announced the winners of its first-ever Travel Awards, recognising the best of the travel industry. The most-favoured airlines, travel companies, experiences and destinations were voted for by 17,000 readers. On Sept. 8, 22 winners were revealed in an awards ceremony held at the Kimpton Fitzroy London hotel.
Best airlines
The ‘Best long-haul airline’ as voted for by Independent readers was revealed to be Emirates. The airline operates one of the world’s largest long-haul networks with 140 destinations. The airline’s website says it is ‘the world’s only airline to exclusively fly A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft…one of the youngest and most comfortable fleets in the skies.’
The acclaim of ‘Best short-haul airline’ was shared by popular low-cost airlines Jet2 and EasyJet. Both offer passengers affordable flights to a variety of destinations in Europe and beyond.
Best destinations
Spain won the title of ‘Best destination in Europe’ with its ever-popular Balearic Islands (including Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza), Catalonia (Barcelona), Valencia and Andalusia (including Granada, Malaga and Seville). A recent Frontur survey by Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) found that Spain had set a new tourism record with 58.1 million visitors in the first seven months of the year, a 4.6% increase on the same period in 2025. UK travellers made up 11.5 million of the total. Another recent joint study by Deloitte and Google suggested Spain could overtake France as the world’s most visited country by 2040.
The ‘Best European city’ was voted as Dublin, the largest and capital city of Ireland. It offers visitors a rich mix of cultural experiences and historic landmarks. The Guinness Storehouse is Dublin’s and in fact Ireland’s most visited attraction, with its brewing process tour of the iconic stout drink.
The ‘Best destination outside of Europe’ award was voted by Independent readers to be the USA. The country has a diverse mix of tourism on offer including but not limited to popular destinations such as New York, Florida, Las Vegas, Washington D.C. and San Francisco.
Cornwall was named the ‘Best place to visit in the UK’, whilst Edinburgh Castle was named the ‘Best UK attraction.’ Center Parcs was named ‘Best holiday park’ and The Hotel Cafe Royal in London won the ‘Best hotel in the UK’ award.
Other winners
Hilton was named as the ‘Best worldwide hotel brand’ whilst Villa Plus won the ‘Best villa operator’ award. TUI won both the ‘Best tour operator’ and ‘Best all-inclusive resort brand’ awards. Intrepid Travel won the ‘Best solo holiday provider’ award as well as ‘Best at sustainable and ethical travel practices’. Crystal Ski won the accolade of ‘Best ski holiday operator’.
The other awards announced at the ceremony included Independent readers’ favourite ferry, river, cruise and rail providers.
Congratulations to all the winners! Do you agree with the results? Let us know in the comments below.
