Viking, the small ship river and ocean cruise line, was today named Best River Cruise Company at the prestigious British Travel Awards for the 12th consecutive year. Viking’s quarterly publication, Explore More, was also shortlisted in the Best Consumer Holiday Magazine category.
Run by an independent organisation, the British Travel Awards is one of the largest polls of consumer opinion in the UK. The awards have been held every year since 2008 and this year over 100,000 consumers voted for the travel brands they believe deserve recognition.
Wendy Atkin-Smith, Managing Director at Viking UK, said: “We are proud to have been voted once again as the Best River Cruise Company at this year’s British Travel Awards. Providing incredible service to our guests has always been at the heart of everything that we do at Viking and this award is testament to the hard work and dedication shown by our fantastic crew and team members. Thank you very much to all our loyal guests who voted for us this year.
“We are thrilled that the cruise we donated to the British Travel Awards auction has raised £3,500 for the NHS – the true heroes of 2020. As we approach 2021, we look forward to expanding our fleet with four new 168-guest Seine ships and two new Viking Longships on European river itineraries. Additionally, we will welcome a new 80-guest ship, Viking Saigon, which will sail on our popular Magnificent Mekong cruisetour and will be the most modern vessel on the river.”
British Travel Awards’ Chief Executive Lorraine Barnes Burton said: “Viking is to be congratulated on winning Best River Cruise Company in this most difficult year for the travel industry. The winners of the British Travel Awards are decided by votes from the travelling public and despite many people being unable to take a holiday this year some did manage to, before and between lockdowns. We also asked voters to show their support for companies they had a good experience with, paying attention to customer service – recognising companies who had helped them with re-bookings, refunds and cancellations. The British Travel Awards is still the largest consumer voted awards in the UK and congratulations to all the worthy winners. We’re looking ahead and forward, all being well, to travelling again soon.”
