Big Five Tours & Expeditions honored by Virtuoso® at 28th Annual Virtuoso Travel Week

Stuart, FL (August 12, 2016) – International luxury travel network Virtuoso® celebrated the close of its 28th annual Virtuoso Travel Week event with a festive gala, where they announced the results of its noted Virtuoso Awards. Big Five Tours & Expeditions was honored to have been recognized for a second time as the winner of its Sustainable Tourism Leadership Award. Big Five first won the award in 2014.

Held at the Bellagio in Las Vegas every year, this year the event expanded to include two other host hotels: Vdara Hotel & Spa and Aria Resort & Casino. It drew some 5,200 participants including a record 2,500 Virtuoso advisors.

Virtuoso® is the travel industry’s leading luxury travel network. This invitation-only organization comprises over 340 agencies with more than 8,900 elite travel specialists in 20 countries as well as more than 1,700 of the world’s best travel providers and premier destinations. The network’s member agencies generate over $12.5 billion annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment.

The final gala ceremony marked a successful weeklong event that brought together the upper echelon of the travel industry, including Virtuoso member agencies and their travel advisors, hotels and resorts, cruise lines, tour operators, preferred destinations and tourism boards, airlines, on-sites and specialty services. The event honored some of the most innovative, revered, and top-performing travel agencies and advisors throughout the United States, Australia and Latin America, as well as the network’s global portfolio of world’s-best travel partners.

“We are deeply honored to have received this award a second time. Sustainability is at the core of Big Five and the journeys we create,” noted Ashish Sanghrajka, president of Big Five. “I believe in it for my children. I want to lead by example and show them what life is really about… helping others. I am excited about the good things happening in the world and within the travel industry. We can make a difference.”

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About Big Five

Founded in 1973 in Nairobi, Kenya by CEO Mahen Sanghrajka, Big Five Tours & Expeditions provides luxury journeys to more than 45 destinations worldwide, which encompass Africa, Asia, Orient, Latin America and South Pacific. Each tour seeks to combine the thrill of personal discovery with the pleasure of experiencing the finest services on our thoughtfully planned, custom-designed itineraries. That includes our Precious Journeys® and Precious Journeys® College Edition journeys centered on family travel. The luxury tour operator consistently strives to provide creative and original journeys as well as premier guest services with their premier 24 Hour White Glove Service® guest assistance. Big Five journeys also adhere to the best practices of sustainable, socially responsible travel, which promotes cultural preservation, community well-being, and conservation of natural resources.