Nominations opened today for the 24th Cruise Industry Awards, giving cruise lines, agents, tour operators and suppliers a formal window to put forward candidates across the sector's annual recognition program.

The awards, now in their 24th year, are a fixture of the cruise trade calendar and consistently draw entries from the full distribution chain — retail agencies, cruise lines, wholesalers and destination partners. For sellers of travel, a nomination or win functions as marketing collateral: agencies routinely use finalist and winner status in consumer campaigns, and cruise lines leverage supplier-category results in B2B pitches.

Who can be nominated?

The program recognises the operators and intermediaries that move cruise bookings. Typical categories span best cruise line, best travel agency and best consultant, and best tour operator or shore-experience partner — the full category list and entry mechanics are published on the awards platform.

Nominations today mark the first stage of a multi-phase process that usually runs through industry judging and a gala presentation night, where the trade gathers and winners are announced.

Why trade awards matter commercially

Recognition programs of this kind carry real weight in a distribution ecosystem where consumer trust drives conversion. Cruise remains a booked-through-agent category to an outsized degree, and consultants who can badge themselves as award winners — or award-nominated — hold a differentiation lever that direct-booking channels struggle to replicate.

For suppliers and destinations, the awards also serve as an annual benchmark of which operators the trade itself rates most highly — a signal agencies can use when deciding which partners to prioritise in packaging and promotion.

What happens next

With nominations now open, the trade can expect the shortlisting and judging phases to follow, culminating in the awards night that closes the cycle. Industry publication Karryon, which carries the announcement, is the reference point for deadlines and category detail as the program progresses.