On The Beach founder to enter the Travel Hall of Fame

Event returns this year following the pandemic with a global and sustainable focus

The travel and hospitality industry Hall of Fame is poised to return next month for the first time since the start of the Covid pandemic with a new global perspective and focus on sustainability.

Renamed the Global Travel Hall of Fame, the ceremony will take place on April 28 at London’s The Chesterfield Hotel, part of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection operated by event host partner The Travel Corporation (TTC).

The event was forced to take a break during the Covid-19 pandemic, so inductees originally due to be honoured in 2020 will be invited to join the ranks of the most influential and important executives in the sector’s history.

This year’s inductees include: Jamaican tourism minister Edmund Bartlett; Fiona Jeffery, former World Travel Market managing director and founder of industry charity Just A Drop; past president and chief executive of Azamara, SeaDream Yacht Club, Cunard & Seabourn Cruise Line, Larry Pimentel; On The Beach founder and chief executive Simon Cooper; and Bill Toner, chief executive of catering giant CH&Co.

The British Travel and Hospitality Hall of Fame was acquired by Jacobs Media Group in 2014, and from 2022 it will reflect the Travel Weekly parent’s growing international reach as well as the global nature of the travel, hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors.

Clive Jacobs, chairman of Jacobs Media Group, said this year’s inductees epitomise the resilience the sector has shown as well as their individual business successes. He said: “Entry to the Hall of Fame is the pinnacle of our industry and the list of members is a roll-call of its greatest leaders and innovators.

“I am immensely proud that it is part of the Jacobs Media Group portfolio and I cannot think of a more fitting partner than TTC and Red Carnation Hotels to take it forward and recognise many more deserving inductees this year and in the years ahead.”

As well as the annual inductees, the Hall of Fame will also present a Sustainable Business Award that will go to a firm that has made a measurable and impressive difference over the last 12 months.

The British Travel Industry Hall of Fame was established in 1995 to honour excellence and outstanding achievement in the sector. Legendary industry names among Hall of Fame inductees include Sir Rocco Forte, Sir Fred Pontin, Billy Butlin, Freddie Laker, Sir Geoffrey Kent, Erna Low, James Hoseason, Michel Roux, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, and both Bea and Stanley Tollman.

Brett Tollman, chief executive of The Travel Corporation, said: “We are very excited about this new partnership. TTC and Red Carnation Hotels have always had a great affinity with the UK, doing business here and supporting our great industry. We look forward to recognising this years’ inductees and continuing this long-term relationship with Jacobs Media Group and the Global Travel Hall of Fame.”

Entry into the Global Travel Hall of Fame remains the highest accolade in the travel, tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors and is bestowed on only the most successful and remarkable individuals.  Inductees are chosen for how they and their businesses have changed the face of the sector and have had a profound influence on their fellow professionals.

As well as Travel Weekly and sister title The Caterer, the Hall of Fame is partnering with the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council, an influential international thought leadership organisation established by Jacobs Media Group in 2016.