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
Showing strong growth in passenger numbers and commercial results in 2024, Aqua Expeditions also relaunched their website, offering a more immersive platform, giving prospective guests a richer insight into the experiences aboard their fleet. Aqua Expeditions has also demonstrated solid commitments to operating responsibly, reduced single-use plastics by 90% and purifying water waste so that they only return clean water to the rivers and seas. The company has also partnered with 4Ocean to remove over 11 tonnes of plastic annually, and support conservation in the Galapagos via the Charles Darwin Foundation.
DMC – Large
Winner – Condor Travel
Condor Travel showed strong growth in UK client numbers during 2024, coupled with impressive commercial results. Operating across South America, they launched new product across the region, including the Northern Route in Peru, moving clients away from more saturated destinations in the south. In Chile, they created a new artisan route in collaboration with local craftswomen. As an employer they support long-term education by offering access to undergraduate, postgraduate, technical, and language programs, further empowering their staff.
DMC – Small
Winner – Explorandes
Explorandes celebrated 50 years of operation in 2024, but continues to drive product innovation, launching an itinerary on the Great Inca Trail, as an alternative to the usual Inca Trail route, showcasing more than 3,000 years of Andean culture. Judges commented on Explorandes’ strong focus on local communities focused on formal employment, fair compensation, and continuous training. They also noted the impact of them providing direct work to porters, cooks, and muleteers, complementing local agricultural economies and creating stable, dignified income opportunities.
DMC – New to LATA
Winner – Argentina on the Go
Argentina on the Go showed impressive growth in 2024, with 200% growth in the number of UK clients received. In 2024, Argentina on the Go also achieved B Corp certification, as well as being recognised by the Argentine System of Tourism Quality through its Sustainable Tourism Guidelines Programme. They introduced a range of slower travel itineraries, encouraging travellers to connect more deeply with the local culture and environment.
Boutique Hotel
Winner – Art Hotels Ecuador
As a group of boutique hotels, Art Hotels Ecuador are able to offer a highly-personalised service, and close connection to the destination. As a part of this guests are given a clear view on the positive impact of their stay, through easily accessed data. Art Hotels Ecuador believes that exceptional guest experiences begin with empowered, well-trained staff, and to invest in their team in 2024 they introduced a training platform for employees with access to over 5,000 courses – both for personal enrichment, and enhanced work skills. Feedback from one guest commented, “It’s like staying in a living museum—but with five-star comfort”, which judges felt encapsulated the experience that the hotels seek to deliver.
Lodge
Winner – Explora
The judges were impressed by Explora’s combined commitment to the guest experience, to their staff, and to the places and communities in which they operate. The guest experience is designed to immerse them in the location, its traditions and its people. In 2024 Explora introduced a programme of ensuring that employees are trained on a multitude of functions, giving the team a richer level of experience, and empowering them to better assist with clients’ needs. The judges noted the effects of Explora’s ‘Leave no trace’ policy, with their team well trained in ensuring a positive experience for guests, but without any negative impact on the region.
Tour Operator – Small
Winner – LiNGER
The judges were impressed with LiNGER’s highly individualised approach to travel, and commitment to finding new itineraries for clients. In 2024 LiNGER launched Peru Beyond Machu Picchu, Costa Rica’s Unvisited Peninsulas, and Brazil Beyond Rio, offering a new experience to clients that thought they had ‘done’ those countries. LiNGER also ran an incredible 106-day trip in Central America for one family, which then provided a platform to offer similar, immersive trips to the region.
Tour Operator – Large
Winner – Latin Routes
In 2024, Latin Routes expanded its offering into Belize and Guatemala, and collaborated with New Scientist to see the development of new science-focused itineraries in the Galapagos, Amazon, Patagonia, and Baja California. Continuing its drive to promote Latin America through the travel trade, Latin Routes took 40 travel agents to Peru in late 2024, giving them a first-hand experience of Peru’s landscapes and cultural heritage. The operator also worked to drive consumer awareness of Latin America through collaborations in consumer media with tourism boards such as Guyana and Belize. Latin Routes invested in a new website, a new staff training programme, provided access to private healthcare, and launched its Employee of the Month scheme.
Product Launch
Winner – Art Hotels Ecuador for the opening of Hotel Rio Guayas
The opening of Hotel Rio Guayas was severely impacted by the pandemic – not just because of the difficulties caused, but due to the loss of some key people to Covid. Located in Las Peñas – Guayaquil’s oldest and most iconic neighbourhood –a lot of effort was made to avoid any possible damage to the cobblestone streets, with construction being carried out from a barge on the river, which really impressed the judges. Hotel Rio Guayas is the only 5-star boutique hotel in the area, and the first luxury investment of its kind in a district too often forgotten.
Marketing Campaign
Winner – Las Torres Patagonia
Las Torres Patagonia held a social media contest that gave participants an opportunity to win an all-expense-paid voluntourism trip to Chile’s iconic Torres del Paine National Park. The trip offered participants the experience of exploring Patagonia while actively contributing to environmental conservation by restoring the Base Torres trail. With an estimated reach of over 10 million, this campaign increased both brand awareness for the company, and a broader understanding of the challenges of conserving our important natural habitats.
Workplace of the year
Winner – Metropolitan Touring
A company is nothing without its employees and, with quality staff harder to find than ever, a welcoming and nurturing workplace is critical. Metropolitan Touring has a fully-rounded approach to recruitment and retention, working with the education sector to recruit emerging talent, and then ensuring that each member of the team has a personalised development programme, not only focussed on training but also wellbeing. Judges were particularly impressed with the new initiatives introduced in 2024, including the launch of a Mental Health Fair.
Significant Contribution
Winner – Enrique Umbert Olazabal from Mountain Lodges of Peru
Olazabal is a visionary in sustainable tourism, co-founding a business in 2005 to offer eco-friendly luxury treks to Machu Picchu. Through his not-for-profit, Yanapana Peru, he’s reduced poverty by over 20% in local communities and pioneered the Kuska Purispa model, where locals are co-owners. He prioritises sustainability, using 80% locally sourced materials and practising organic farming. Judges particularly noted his projects with textile cooperatives that preserve cultural heritage and generate income has empowered over 150 female artisans.
Unsung Hero
Winner – Mario Haberfeld of Onçafari
Starting out as a Formula 1 racing driver, Haberfeld later turned to environmental projects, founding a not-for-profit that combines wildlife conservation with sustainable tourism in Brazil’s. He has pioneered techniques to safely habituate jaguars and maned wolves for ecotourism, boosting local economies and creating jobs while promoting community-led conservation. He works behind the scenes to secure land protection, combat fires, and rewild endangered species. His quiet yet impactful efforts have transformed neglected regions into global models of nature-based tourism, redefining sustainable tourism for wildlife, communities, and travellers. The judges felt that his work embodies the spirit of the Unsung Hero Award.