Awards were presented to British travel writers for top UK and worldwide tourism subjects at a spectacular presentation at the Savoy Hotel, London on Sunday, November 4th.

The awards dinner, by the British Guild of Travel Writers (BGTW), was on the eve of the World Travel Market, Britain's show at London's Excel which attracts industry professionals from around the world.

BGTW Chairman Roger Bray said: "Our travel industry has grown again this year and last year generated almost 100 million jobs.  But unlike some other business sectors it is much more than an economic powerhouse.  Travel creates contact between disparate people, draws back veils of prejudice and promotes greater understanding of other cultures."

He praised industry leaders, many of them among the 48,000 travel professionals that visit WTM from around the world and also commended guild members' creative global writing and photographic work.  He also thanked the BGTW awards dinner sponsors, Las Vegas, for the spectacular evening.

The BGTW presented the travel writing and photography awards, selected by an outside jury,  to its own members for a wide range of subjects.

Guild member awards went to:

BGTW Travel Writer of the Year sponsored by travel PR: Adrian Phillips of Harrow on the Hill, London, for his piece A Guided Tour with the Natural Navigator published in the Independent.

Photographer of the Year sponsored by the Sarawak Tourist Board: Tim Bird of Helsinki, Finland for a collection of pictures ranging from Mindful Meditations to Ice Ice Baby and run in Blue Wings, the Finnair inflight magazine.

Best Destination Feature under 850 words sponsored by Classic Collection Holidays: Norman Miller  from Brighton, Sussex for Bewitched by the Beauty of the Boglands of Estonia, published in The Times.

Best UK Feature sponsored by Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust: Ben Lerwill from Shipton under Wychwood, Oxfordshire, for his piece Island Hopping on Two Wheels, run in the Independent.

Best European (non UK) feature over 850 words sponsored by TravMedia: Judy Armstrong from Appleton Le Moors, Yorkshire for her piece In the Pink run by France magazine.

Best Long Haul feature sponsored by Antigua and Barbuda: Will Gray of Sibford Gower, Oxfordshire, for his feature In Darwin's Footsteps, published in Wild Travel magazine:

Kenneth Westcott Jones Memorial Award for Best Transport and Specialist feature sponsored by Virgin Trains: Emma Gregg, UK-based, for her piece Escape to the Cape run in National Geographic Traveller Family.

Best Narrative Travel Book sponsored by Guild Travel-Finland Travel Specialists: Jeremy Seal of Bath, for his Meander; East to West along a Turkish River published by  Chatto and Windus, Random House.

Adele Evans Award for Best Guidebook sponsored by the Sultanate of Oman: Emma Thomson of Bushey, Hertfordshire, for Flanders: Northern Belgium published by Bradt Travel Guides.

The BGTW also presented awards for specific Tourism projects during the evening, which was attended by 300 top travel industry and media representatives.

Further information and photos available from the British Guild of Travel Writers Secretariat: secretariat@bgtw.org, 020 8144 8713.

Prepared by Paul Thomas, any queries: 01603 738582 or 07768 392800.