Gloucestershire-based tour operator Steppes Travel is celebrating a flying start to 2018, having been awarded the first-ever ‘Contribution to Luxury Award’ at the prestigious ttgluxury Travel Awards
Steppes Travel followed this prestigious industry recognition with a second award ‘Driving Innovation’ given by Vamoos at its inaugural awards ceremony held to recognise innovative and creative ways its customers can use specially designed technology when travelling with Steppes Travel.
Nadia Hussain, Head of Marketing at Steppes Travel, collected the award given to her in recognition of the contribution that she has made to ‘Driving Innovation’ in her approach to the customer journey as a Steppes Travel client.
Key features of the app include a home screen trip countdown, day by day visual itinerary, maps, weather, access to supporting travel documents, points of interest and notifications, all of which are available on and offline. Vamoos who helped to create the app was highly commended as Technology Company of the Year 2017 at the Travel Trade Gazette Awards.
Most recently, Justin Wateridge, Managing Director of Steppes Travel, was the recipient of the “Contribution to Luxury” award, designed to recognise individuals who are “dedicated to… the core elements of our luxury travel industry – conservation and the environment; cultivation of an amazing company culture; incredible service standards; industry-shifting innovation; and a true pioneering spirit.
Justin certainly ticks the box in all those and has our utmost respect said April Hutchinson, Editor of ttgluxury. And if this decade has been all about “experiential travel”, then he – and Steppes Travel – has always been way ahead of the curve.”
Justin Wateridge, Managing Director of Steppes Travel said, ‘whilst I may have been the recipient of this award, it is the wonderful team at Steppes who are the true recipients. It is there dedication to conservation and the environment which drives our travel business forward’.
These awards come on the back of a wave of proactivity by Steppes Travel, who have spearheaded the environmental and conservation focussed showcase ‘Beyond Festival’ hosted at the Royal Geopgraphical Society, London. In 2017 the two-day event highlighted the plight of the world’s oceans in the face of plastic pollution. Bringing together the world’s leading adventurers, explorers, scientists and conservationists, the Festival saw the launch of the #REFUSETOUSE initiative, created to reduce the use of single-use plastics.
Their anti-plastics initiatives have also seen them taking remarkable measures to cut down on plastic consumption in their office, and exciting campaigns working with other local Gloucestershire businesses to help reduce plastic waste.
Steppes Travel have a long history of pioneering beyond-the-ordinary travel, showcasing the world to curious travellers. From hiking in the Andes to exploring ancient temples, to coming face-to-face with grizzly bears, or whale sharks, Steppes Travel’s experts can curate once-in-a-lifetime experiences bespoke to any traveller desires. Justin’s most recent pioneering trips have included Saudi Arabia, Chad, Papua New Guinea and Mongolia.
