The Experientialist Awards 20/21:
The winners

A lot has happened for OutThere and luxury travel in the year the Earth stood still. As many of you will know as you took part in the voting, we launched our inaugural Experientialist Awards in 2020, despite the downturn in global travel. We wanted to recognise and applaud the luxury brands and people from across our big and beautiful world that have delivered truly OutThere initiatives, ingenious activities and community-first approaches. Then, for the added feel-good factor, we also wanted to recognise the very best in OutThere experiences. We are extremely proud to announce the Experientialist Awards 20/21 winners.

The response for our first ever Experientialist Awards 20/21 has been overwhelming: hundreds of worthy nominees from all corners of the world took part.

We’re thrilled to be able to give back as well, raising £5,000 in entry donations, to go to the winners of the Experientialist Awards 20/21 “Most OutThere initiative in community, conservation and sustainability,” below. All the initiatives shortlisted were so very worthy, and it was a very close call.

We inch slowly and surely towards holidaying and getting out into the world again, but while our progress may be slower than we had hoped, we’re full of optimism for what’s to come and confident that as an industry we are moving forward positively in so many ways, and soon, skyward. We just know that you’ll see from their stories, just how far we have all come in a year, although most of us didn’t physically go anywhere at all.

The following four categories award the luxury and experiential travel brands that have demonstrated unparalleled excellence during the COVID pandemic.

Most OutThere travel brand

Winner: Belmond

Belmond has always been a good-time brand that exists to connect its guests to taste-leading experience makers. But this past year it was heartwarming to see the brand up its high-brow entertainment to nourish our wanderlust and keep the dream of travel alive.

Finalists:

Most OutThere campaign

Winner: Six Senses – At home with Six Senses

From meditation experts in beatific Bhutan to gut-health nutritionists in fairytale Fiji, wellbeing leaders Six Senses remained dedicated to feeding their loyal fans with inspiring ways to live life to the fullest from home and to approach the lockdown mindfully.

Finalists:

Most OutThere champion

Winner: Robert Sharp, Out Adventures

Putting the needs and concerns of travellers and the LGBTQ+ community first – particularly during the pandemic – has always been at the forefront of what Canadian group tour leaders Out Adventures – owned by Robert Sharp – is all about.

Finalists:

Most OutThere initiative in community, conservation and sustainability

Joint winners: Bill Bensley & The Shinta Mani Foundation and Ride4Rangers

When it comes to protecting wildlife and the communities around it, Bill Bensley’s Shinta Mani Foundation and Ben Morison’s Ride4Rangers have both gone the extra mile, by increasing the intensity of their work, or finding new ways to fund their projects.

The Shinta Mani Foundation and Ride4Rangers will share the £5,000 collected from entry donations to further fund their projects.

Finalists:

The following six categories for the Experientialist Awards are unrelated to COVID, but celebrate the luxury travel brands, that like us, are rooted in diversity, discovery and discernment at any time and linked to the six OutThere traveller profiles.

The Adventurer award

Winner: Cookson Adventures

Setting a new bar in hyper-personalised, super-luxury adventure travel, Cookson Adventures are enticing curious and worldly travellers to head out and explore the planet once again in a distinctive, fine-tuned and moreover, safe way.

Finalists:

The Culturalist award

Winner: The Siam x Smiling Albino

We got quite literally under the skin of Thai culture in Bangkok, Thailand’s ‘City of Angels’ with The Siam. The sophisticated luxury hotel that has developed a true sense of place has caught the eye of OutThere travellers, especially when paired with out-of-the-box cultural immersion courtesy of Smiling Albino.

Finalists:

The Escapist award

Joint winners: Chablé Hotels and SHA Wellness Retreat

After the year that was, it seems that escapism and wellness have firmly cemented their intrinsic bond and are high on the list of priorities for OutThere travellers. Chablé Hotels on Mexico’s East Coast and SHA Wellness Clinic in Spain take this hotly contested category.

Highly commended: COMO Hotels

Finalists:

The Hedonist award

Winner: Tel Aviv

The beachside city of Tel Aviv has a long-held reputation for hedonism, a favourite of OutThere travellers who adore its full-of-life residents. We can’t wait for the time to come when we will be able to celebrate the city’s forward-looking exuberance once again.

Finalists:

The Insider award

Joint winners: Ayu in the Wild and Carrier

With the OutThere traveller always looking to adventure just that little bit slower, more intelligently and better, to discover the inside track on what’s happening in a destination, who better than to turn to than this category’s joint winners, Sri Lankan slow-travel experts Ayu in the Wild and luxury tour operator, Carrier.

Finalists:

These six brands are all centred around ‘being in the know’ – they’re otherwise hard to access journeys, but made available because of the brand’s innovation, creativity and connections.

The Sophisticate award

Winner: Abercrombie & Kent Ultra-Lux Collection

Abercrombie & Kent‘s highly sophisticated ultra-luxury trips and top-notch itineraries – the “money can’t buy” experiences – are all about reconnection, with people and nature, linked to giving back to communities. They’re centred around elite experiences that challenge the norm, broaden horizons and offer ultimate levels of luxury.

Finalists:

Photography courtesy of The Experientialist Awards 20/21