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