Skip to main content

Excellence Awards

The LATA Excellence Awards recognise innovation and excellence from across the Latin American Travel Industry. We welcome entries from all tourism businesses and suppliers – destinations, resorts, individual hotels and niche enterprises, as well as global businesses such as airlines and major hotel chains.

The Awards aim to recognise and highlight true trailblazers, innovators and heroes in our industry.

 

 


2025 WINNERs

LATA is delighted to reveal the winners of the LATA Excellence Awards 2025, formerly called the LATA Achievement Awards. Winners were presented with their trophies in front of more than 300 delegates, industry partners and media on Monday 2 June during the gala dinner at LATA Expo.

Danny Callaghan, CEO of LATA says, “It is a pleasure to present these awards to our members each year, celebrating their achievements and the hard work that is involved to offer the best of travel to Latin America. It is wonderful to be able to do so in front of so many of our members as part of LATA Expo”.

The awards, overseen by Danny Callaghan, were judged by a panel of independent industry experts including Kate Kenward of Visit USA UK, Adrian Phillips from Bradt Travel Guides, Basia Kolosinska from C&M Recruitment and Kate McWilliams from LOTUS. Our thanks as always to the judges for their time and input.

The winners of the LATA Achievement Awards 2025 are:

Cruise operator

Winner – Aqua Expeditions

DMC – Large

Winner – Condor Travel

DMC – Small

Winner – Explorandes

DMC – New to LATA

Winner – Argentina on the Go

Boutique Hotel

Winner – Art Hotels Ecuador

Lodge

Winner – Explora

Tour Operator – Small

Winner – LiNGER

Tour Operator – Large

Winner – Latin Routes

Product Launch

Winner – Art Hotels Ecuador for the opening of Hotel Rio Guayas

Marketing Campaign

Winner – Las Torres Patagonia

Workplace of the year

Winner – Metropolitan Touring

Significant Contribution

Winner – Enrique Umbert Olazabal from Mountain Lodges of Peru

Unsung Hero

Winner – Mario Haberfeld of Onçafari

For more information on the winners see here

2024 WINNERS

Returning for the first time since 2019, LATA is delighted to reveal the winners of the LATA Achievement Awards 2024. Winners were presented with their trophies in front of more than 300 delegates and media during the gala dinner at the new-look LATA Expo.

Danny Callaghan, CEO of LATA says, “I am delighted to bring back the LATA Achievement Awards to rightly celebrate and recognise the achievements of all our members, who work tirelessly to offer the best of travel to Latin America. It was a pleasure to present the awards last night, and wonderful to be able to do so in front of so many of our members as part of LATA Expo”.

The awards, overseen by Danny Callaghan, were judged by a panel of independent industry experts including Kate Kenward of Visit USA UK, Adrian Phillips from Bradt Travel Guides, Basia Kolosinska from C&M Recruitment and Kate McWilliams from LOTUS. Our thanks to the judges for their time and input.

The winners of the LATA Achievement Awards 2024 are:

Cruise operator

Winner – Golden Galapagos

DMC – Large

Winner – Intrepid DMC

Runner Up -Metropolitan Touring

DMC – Small

Winner – Onesixth Expeditions

The judges recognised that Onesixth Expeditions had worked quickly to secure B Corp certification, achieved in December 2023. They were also impressed with the initiative to give all customers a welcome kit made by a local NGO that works with vulnerable women.

DMC – New to LATA

Winner – Journey Costa Rica

Boutique Hotel

Winner – Estancia Cerro Guido, Chile

Lodge

Winner – Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

Tour Operator – Small

Winner – LiNGER

Tour Operator – Large

Winner – Journey Latin America

Runner Up – Latin Routes

Tour Operator – New to LATA

Winner – True Travel

Product Launch

Winner – Colombian Project

Runner Up – Amazonas Explorer

Marketing Campaign

Winner – Swoop Travel

Runner Up – Las Torres Patagonia

Highly Commended – Latin Routes

Significant Contribution

Winner – Maria Fernanda Sanchez-Salazar

Unsung Hero

Winner – Wendy McNeill

Runner Up – Eneido Guzman Fuentes Sanchez

For more information on the winners see here

2019 WINNERS

Winners of the 2019 Achievement Awards

Cruise Operator of the year
Winner – Golden Galapagos Cruises
Runner up – Galagents

Product launch of the year
Winner – Bolivia Trip
Runner up – Bolivia Milenaria

Airline of the year
Winner – Norwegian
Runner up – Air Europa

People Award
Winner – PEAK DMC South America
Runner up – Audley Travel

Hotel of the year
Winner – andBeyond Vira Vira
Runner up – Hotel CARLOTA

Sustainability Award
Winner – Guyana Tourism Authority
Runner up – Tierra de Volcán

Marketing Campaign of the year
Winner – Quito Turismo
Runner up – Expedia Group Media Solutions and Palace Resorts

DMC/Local operator of the year
Winner – Cubania Travel
Runner up – LimaTours

Destination of the year
Winner – PromPeru

Tour operator of the year
Winner – Latin Routes
Runner up – Imagine Travel

 

2018 WINNERS

Cruise Operator of the year
Winner – Australis
Runner up – Aqua Expeditions

Product Launch of the year
Winner – Belmond
Runner up – Maya Trails

Airline of the year
Winner – Air Europa
Runner up – Norwegian

People award
Winner – Audley Travel
Runner up – Aqua Expeditions

Hotel of the year
Winner – EcoCamp Patagonia
Runner up – Hacienda AltaGracia

Sustainability award
Winner – Amazon Nature Tours
Runner up – Condor Travel
Highly commended – Tierra Atacama

Marketing campaign of the year
Winner – Cox and Kings
Runner up – Journey Latin America

DMC/Local Operator of the year
Winner – PEAK DMC
Runner up – Cascada Expediciones
Highly commended – Vapues Tours

Tour Operator of the year
Winner – Latin Routes
Runner up – Cox and Kings

 

2017 WINNERS

Sustainable Tourism Award – Nicaragua Tourist Board
Customer Service Award – Aqua Expeditions
Innovation & Creativity Award – Belize Tourist Board
Promotional Success Award – Darius Morgan Jr, Crillon Tours
 

2016 WINNERS

Sustainable Tourism Award – Quinn Meyer, Crees
Runner-up – Los Potreros
Customer Service Award – Explore
Runner-up – Coltur
Innovation & Creativity Award – British Airways
Runner-up – Ecoventura
Promotional Success Award – Latin Routes
Runner-up – Air Europa
 

2015 WINNERS

Sustainable Tourism Award – Mountain Lodges of Peru
Runner-up – Cristalino Lodge
Customer Service Award – Peru Empire
Runner-up – Hacienda Zuleta
Innovation & Creativity Award – Swoop
Runner-up – Lima Tours
Promotional Success Award – Belmond
Runner-up – Turismo Chile

2013 WINNERS

Customer Service Award – Costa Rica Trails
Promotional Success Award – Senderos
 

2011 WINNERS

Sustainable Tourism Award – Mountain Lodges of Peru
Customer Service Award – Rainforest Expeditions
Innovation & Creativity Award – Inkaterra
Promotional Success Award – Tierra Atacama/Patagonia
 

2010 WINNERS

Sustainable Tourism Award – Amazonas Explorer
Customer Service Award – Inkaterra
Promotional Success Award – Proexport

Become a member today

Join the world’s biggest Latin American Travel Trade Association and engage with the ever growing LATA Community.

Profile on the LATA website

Events & networking

Marketing & communications

Media exposure

LATA safety scheme