“I had no doubt that the youth and student businesses and organisations that entered the British Youth Travel Awards would be impressive but I was truly bowled over by the calibre of entries. It was a well-fought competition and I found it a very tough task marking the entries. Thanks for the privilege of being a judge.“

“I was delighted to be part of the judging panel for the 2019 British Youth Travel Awards.The awards are a great initiative by BETA to recognise the large number of businesses that do a great job servicing the highly valuable youth travel market. I was impressed with the many fine submissions particularly so in the categories of Best Innovation and Best Accommodation. Clearly businesses are listening to their young customer base, are adapting and improving their product to better serve this important market now and into the future.”

“These awards highlight the breadth of quality activities on offer to young people to support learning, curiosity and new experiences.  The industry should be proud of the commitments shown to superior service, continuing innovation and to ensuring really satisfied customers.”   

“In judging the awards, I was struck by the number and range of ethical and socially responsible campaigns and initiatives being led by both small and larger organisations in the sector.  This was a real breath of fresh air.”

“The nominees in the Best Volunteering category, without fail, are all doing fantastic work.  Their projects are making a difference to people’s lives.  Also it gives the volunteers who give of their time to help out, some great hands-on education and understanding of different ways of life to that which we are used to in Western Europe.”

“It was a pleasure judging the British Youth Travel Awards – it’s great to read about companies going above and beyond to give their customers the best possible experience. The Best Educational Product and Best Support Service categories were tough to judge as there were so many great examples of innovation and success.”