The Ultratravel Forum and ULTRAs

from WINTER 2022/23-ILTM-Utratravel.com

by Ultratravel

Racing Form

The Ultratravel Forum was, as always, an agendasetting series of talks and panels, kicked off by chairman Nick Perry

Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotel Group, and moderator Mark Barton Attendees listening intently to panellists discussing sustainability in luxury travel

Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates

Nick Perry

Founder and chairman of Ultratravel, opens proceedings

The 2022 Ultratravel Forum

Images by Steve Dunlop Photography

After a three-year hiatus, the great and good of the travel and luxury industries converged on the UK for the Ultratravel Forum and The ULTRAs, held at London’s Pan Pacific hotel on 31 October.

The Ultratravel Forum was, as always, an agenda-setting series of talks and panels, which was kicked off by Ultratravel chairman Nick Perry’s welcome and a presentation by Explora Journeys’ Chris Austin, previewing the newest entry into the world of luxury cruising.

The executive editor of The Economist, Daniel Franklin, then provided a thoughtprovoking presentation on the opportunities and challenges in the year to come for the sector and the world writ large before handing to Mark Barton, ex-anchor at Bloomberg Television to moderate a panel on sustainability.

Headlined by the likes of senior executives such as Dillip Rajakarier, CEO Minor Hotel Group; Michael Ungerer, CEO Explora Journeys; Diana Verde Nieto, co-founder and co-CEO of Positive Luxury, and Clive Jackson, chairman and founder of Fly Victor, the panel explored how the industry can make meaningful changes for a better world.

The day concluded with a candid news-making conversation between journalist John Arlidge of The Sunday Times and Sir Tim Clark, KBE, president of Emirates Airline, who opined about the state of the industry and his own carrier – and entranced the audience in doing so.

Ultratravel editor Farhad Heydari, Gemma Greenwood and Andrea Krenn

Chris Austin, Explora Journeys, addresses the Ultratravel Forum Stephen Dunk, Nina Gardiner and Andrew Wall

Diana Verde Nieto, co-CEO of Positive Luxury Chris Hartley, GHA, and Mark Griffiths, Viceroy Hotels

Michael Ungerer, CEO of Explora Journeys

The ULTRAs waiting to be presented

ULTRAs 2022 winners & runners-up

BEST LUXURY CRUISE LINE

Regent Seven Seas Cruises Runners-up Celebrity Cruises Ponant Seabourn Silversea

SUSTAINABLE HOTEL OF THE YEAR

PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore Runners-up Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort Castaway Island, Fiji

BEST NEW HOTEL

The David Kempinski, Tel Aviv Runners-up Capella Bangkok Pan Pacific London

BEST RESORT HOTEL

Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, St Lucia Runners-up Capella Ubud The Leela Palace Udaipur

BEST CITY HOTEL

Corinthia London Runners-up Çirağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul The Murray, Hong Kong

BEST HOTEL IN MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

The Royal Livingstone by Anantara, Victoria Falls Runners-up Marsa Malaz Kempinski, Doha, Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, Abu Dhabi

BEST HOTEL IN THE INDIA OCEAN

Patina Maldives, Fari Islands Runners-up Niyama Private Island Maldives The Residence Zanzibar

ULTRATRAVEL COLLECTION HOTEL OF THE YEAR

Capella Singapore Runners-up Portrait Roma The Westbury, Dublin

BEST BUSINESS CLASS

Qsuite by Qatar Airways Runners-up American Airlines British Airways Emirates Virgin Atlantic

BEST AIRLINE IN NORTH AMERICA

American Airlines Runners-up Air Canada Delta Air Lines JetBlue United Airlines

BEST AIRLINE IN ASIA/PACIFIC

Singapore Airlines Runners-up ANA Cathay Pacific

BEST AIRLINE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Emirates Runners-up Etihad Airways Oman Air Qatar Airways

BEST AIRLINE IN THE WORLD

Emirates Runners-up Qatar Airways Singapore Airlines

BEST AIRPORT IN THE WORLD

Changi, Singapore Runners-up Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Hamad International, Doha Dubai International

FAVOURITE COUNTRY FOR A HOLIDAY

Thailand Runners-up Italy Maldives United Arab Emirates

Above: Ultratravel editor Farhad Heydari, Dillip Rajakarier and Nick Perry, chairman of Ultratravel

Gabby Wickham, Mark Allvey and Jayne Alexander

The 2022 ULTRAs

It was the long-overdue return of The Ultimate Luxury Travel Related Awards (The ULTRAs), the most respected and valued in the industry, which were presented by Kirsty Gallacher and Gethin Jones. Guests sipped an unending supply of Nyetimber Brut Reserve, cocktails fashioned with Dangerous Don Mezcal and nibbled on canapés and hors d’oeuvres prepared by the capable team at the Pan Pacific Hotel, all in benefit for a charity close to this magazine’s heart: Hope and Homes for Children.