This award is designed to recognise and reward providers of services such as meals, sea crossings, event tickets and accommodation. We were looking for those suppliers who have made outstanding efforts to accommodate, attract, and welcome coaches, their drivers and their passengers.

This year, the award was divided into four categories, covering:

• Hotels and Catering
• Theatre and Venue Ticketing
• Tour Wholesaling
• Sea Transport/Water Crossing

This page covers the last of these, looking at provides of water transport and sea crossings.

Winner: Wightlink

Wightlink is totally committed to the coach and group tour business and is always seeking to improve services for operators.

The company's ships carry many of the major coach companies, including local operators, to and from the Isle of Wight. There are frequent sailings day and night - half hourly at peak times with a choice of routes, easily accessible from all parts of the country.

Using purpose built roll-on/roll-off ferries Wightlink offer a crossing time of only 35-40 minutes on the two shortest and quickest coach routes to the Island and spacious terminals for easy loading and unloading.

The judges commended Wightlink's regular workshops  for coach and group operators, the familiarisation visits plus regular mailings and offers for coach and group tour organisers. There is a strong impression that Wightlink management is totally committed to the coach and group tour business and always seeking to improve services for operators.

Runner Up: Stena Line

Stena Line is the market leader on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the widest choice of routes from Ireland to Britain, including Belfast to Stranraer, Larne to Fleetwood, Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Port to Holyhead and Rosslare to Fishguard, providing fast and efficient crossings with excellent onboard services and facilities.

The company carries approximately three million passengers on its Irish Sea routes each year, more than its rival ferry operators combined. Stena Line has received numerous industry awards for excellence, service and innovation.

The judges felt that Stena Line's competitive group fares and the flexibility to arrive at one port and leave from another, make it a strong choice for coach operators and group organisers. The company's long term relationships and good reputation amongst tour operators makes the company a worthy runner-up.

Highly Commended:

Eurotunnel

Eurotunnel's shuttles have been speeding coaches across the channel for some 17 years now, and carried over 56,000 vehicles in 2010 - 4% ahead of the previous year, despite the ongoing economic uncertainty.

Coach operators can make fast and easy on-line bookings, and the web site also contains extensive information and advice for operators.

Self Check In offers the easy way to access the service, allowing coach drivers to print their boarding pass and proceed directly to the allocation lanes. It's easy and takes only a few moments.

P&O Ferries

Europe's largest ferry operator, P&O has a wide range of cross-channel routes, including Dover-Calais, Portsmouth-Bilbao, Hull-Rotterdam and Hull-Zeebrugge.

Additionally, P&O Irish Sea operates between Liverpool and Dublin and from Cairnryan and Troon to Larne.

Group and coach bookings are a major part of the company's business, and it offers easy booking facilities and flexibility.

Who could be nominated?

This category was open to:

• ferry operators
• other sea crossing providers
• inland water transport providers

… and by whom

Readers of Coach and Bus Week magazine who are coach operators were asked to nominate providers of services they have admired during the last 12 months.

They were asked to explain why they think the nominated service provider deserves this award – this will cover such matters as:

• the ease of booking
• the flexibility and quality of customer service during the enquiry and booking stages
• the welcome provided on the ground to
  • the coach
  • the passengers
  • the driver