Inspiration

The best tour operators in the world: 2024 Readers' Choice Awards

These reliable travel fixers all have years of experience and a vast knowledge of destinations at their fingertips, with accomplished all-rounders alongside more focused experts for spa, ski and specific locations
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Anyone for a family sabbatical? That’s one of the growing trends reported by Red Savannah, with popular hubs such as Southeast Asia and South America hosting philanthropic projects and wilderness experiences. The UK tour operator, which received high scores for variety of destination and reliability, observed a boom in ultra-long-haul travel to New Zealand – also noted by Turquoise (liked for its trip planning and round-the-clock support), which saw strong demand for the South Pacific and remote locations including Stewart Island. In the specialist category, safari expert AndBeyond had planning down to a tee and Scott Dunn was trusted for its first-hand knowledge – as was Black Tomato, which, like everyone, has seen off-the-chart demand for Japan, in particular the Blue Zone beach hit of Okinawa.

These are the best tour operators in the world, according to the 2024 Readers' Choice Awards. The scores below are percentages representing overall average levels of satisfaction.

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    The best general tour operators in the world 2024

    15. Carrier. Score 85.88

    14. Cox & Kings. Score 90.00

    13. Kensington Tours. Score 90.35

    12. Cazenove + Loyd. Score 91.22

    11. Kuoni. Score 93.69

    10. Audley Travel. Score 94.25

    9. Abercrombie & Kent. Score 94.99

    8. Jules Verne. Score 95.19

    7. Simpson Travel. Score 95.46

    6. True Travel. Score 95.48

    5. Original Travel. Score 96.10

    4. Mr & Mrs Smith. Score 97.48

    3. Elegant Resorts. Score 97.81

    2. Red Savannah. Score 98.00

    The Turquoise Holiday Company. Score 99.28

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    The best travel specialists in the world 2024

    15. Pelorus. Score 93.92

    14. Kirker Holidays. Score 94.10

    13. Steppes Travel. Score 95.45

    12. Journey Latin America. Score 95.50

    11. Steppes Travel. Score 96.20

    10. Wild Frontiers. Score 96.34

    9. AndBeyond. Score 96.67

    8. Bramble Ski. Score 96.72

    7. Exodus Adventure Travels. Score 97.24

    6. Inside Japan Tours. Score 97.60

    5. Intrepid Travel. Score 97.94

    4. The Oxford Ski Company. Score 98.14

    3. Black Tomato. Score 98.16

    2. Healing Holidays. Score 98.95

    1. Scott Dunn. Score 99.13
TopicsInspirationReaders' Choice AwardsAwardsTravel TipsRCA 2024