Welsh travel agency wins top award
Nation.Cymru staff
A small independent Welsh travel agency has been named the UK’s Accessible Holidays Provider of the Year after competing against some of the biggest names in the industry.
Cardiff-based World Accessible Holidays received the accolade at The Travel Industry Awards 2026 at The Roundhouse in London on Wednesday, 23 September.
The specialist agency was shortlisted alongside major travel companies including TUI and PortAventura World, as well as Amilla Maldives, Enable Holidays, Limitless Travel, Ocean Florida, Dream and Go and Wheelie Good Travel Co.
Travel consultant Jasmine West collected the award, which was sponsored by Turespaña, the Spanish Tourist Office, on behalf of the Cardiff team.
World Accessible Holidays specialises in arranging overseas trips for disabled travellers, wheelchair users, people with complex care needs and their families.
Rather than simply identifying hotels described as accessible, the company checks accessibility down to individual room level and can arrange adapted accommodation, accessible transfers, mobility and care equipment hire and airport assistance.
The agency also works with case managers, deputies and legal professionals to plan holidays for people with acquired brain injuries and other complex needs.
It can also prepare reports detailing the likely cost of future holidays for use in court proceedings.
Founder and managing director Paula Hansen said the award was particularly significant for the small team.
She said: “This award means so much to our small team in Cardiff.
“Disabled people deserve the same choice and the same excitement about a holiday as anyone else, without worrying whether the room, the transfer or the pool will actually work for them.
“Being recognised alongside household names shows that specialist knowledge and genuine care make a real difference.
“It’s a proud day for us, and for Wales.”
Ms West said collecting the award had been a memorable moment.
She said: “Collecting this award on behalf of the team is a moment I’ll never forget.
“Every day we see what a well-planned holiday means to our clients and their families, and this recognition belongs to them as much as to us.”
Access
World Accessible Holidays was founded by Paula and Steve Hansen and operates as the trading name of Cardiff-based World Access Travel Ltd.
The company holds accreditations from the British Association of Brain Injury and Complex Case Management and the United Kingdom Acquired Brain Injury Forum.
It is also a Disability Confident employer and takes part in passenger accessibility forums at Cardiff and Manchester airports.
The company also sits on the Spanish Tourist Office’s Spain for All panel, which brings together organisations working to improve accessible tourism.
The Travel Industry Awards are organised by travel industry publication TTG.
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