October 10, 2024, 3:34 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
Prominent guests from the travel and tourism industry and many radiant winners: That was the TRAVELBOOK Award 2024 in Berlin–Germany’s most inspiring award ceremony in the tourism sector.
“And the winner is ….” was the phrase again at the TRAVELBOOK Award. This event took place for the third time–once again at the Axel Springer building in Berlin.
During the dinner evening with embassy representatives and prominent guests from the tourism industry, an eight-member expert jury selected the best trend travel destinations in the DACH region, among other categories. The evening was once again hosted by the well-known TV presenter Christian Wackert-Brungs (Sat.1).
Exciting Trend Travel Destinations and an Extraordinary Globetrotter
TRAVELBOOK celebrated the winners and nominees in a total of five categories. The focus for all regions was on trend travel destinations. However, Germany’s largest online travel magazine did not only honor travel destinations–this year, the editorial team once again recognized the TRAVELBOOK Personality 2024. An overview of all categories:
- Best Destination for a Road Trip (International)
- Best National Park (DACH)
- Best Region for a Hiking Vacation (DACH)
- Most Beautiful Small Towns in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland–Public Vote
- TRAVELBOOK Personality 2024
Dorothe Klömmer, Álvaro Blanco, Tassja Damasso, Yannic Stock, Margret Winkler, Karoline Schweers, Carmen Krämer, Michael Beck, Angelika Pickardt, Sören Kliemann, Nuno Alves, and host Chris Wackert
The Best Destination for a Road Trip Worldwide Is …
… Northern Spain! The north of the southwestern European country impressed the road trip enthusiasts in this year’s jury so much that it surpassed Wales, Slovenia, Japan’s Hokkaido, and Namibia to take the top spot in this category.
The jury members are convinced of Northern Spain as a road trip destination for several reasons. Not only did the northern part of Spain lead with an overall score, but it also impressed the decision-makers with its forward-thinking and sustainable ideas. According to the jury’s points, Northern Spain is the road trip destination with the highest trend factor–and that’s what the TRAVELBOOK Award is ultimately about.
The Best National Park in the DACH Region Is …
… the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea! It impressed our jury so much that it surpassed other natural idylls like Germany’s Berchtesgaden and Müritz National Parks, the Swiss National Park, and Austria’s Gesäuse.
The jury at this year’s TRAVELBOOK Award is convinced of the Wadden Sea in Schleswig-Holstein as the best national park in the DACH region for several reasons. As the clear winner of the category, the Wadden Sea particularly impressed with its unique feature. This criterion was rated so highly compared to its German, Swiss, and Austrian competitors that it even compensated for the second-lowest place in terms of trend factor.
The Best Region for a Hiking Vacation (DACH) Is …
… the Carinthian Lake District! The southern Austrian lake landscape surpassed the Swiss region of Lake Lucerne, Germany’s Moselle Valley and Swabian Jura, as well as Austria’s Tannheimer Tal. The Carinthian Lake District particularly impressed with its infrastructure, sustainability efforts, and trend factor. Additionally, the jurors consider the Austrian hiking destination to be particularly versatile.
The Best Small Towns in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland Are …
Monschau, Kufstein, and Locarno! These were not decided by the jury members, but by the TRAVELBOOK readers themselves. Over 20,000 votes were cast in total, and the three towns were able to clearly prevail against nine other candidates from their respective countries.
The TRAVELBOOK Personality 2024 Is …
… Josua Wirth, also known on his social media channels as “Travell4llove“! Unfortunately, he could not be present at the TRAVELBOOK Awards ceremony on October 9, as he is currently in northern Thailand helping to combat the aftermath of the century flood there.
After his girlfriend moved to Thailand, Josua Wirth decided to give up his newly started business and follow her. But not by plane, rather by land. In his videos on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, he documents his journey and shows his more than 2 million followers how he watches the World Cup match between Germany and Costa Rica with locals in Iraq. How he sits among armed Taliban in Afghanistan. How he starts a fundraising campaign for his birthday that raises 23,000 euros for a school in Nepal. This requires courage, but also a certain naivety.
Nuno Alves, editor-in-chief of BOOK Family, said in his laudation: “Josua travels with optimism, openness, and above all: impartiality. He seeks the minimal common ground amidst everything that divides. That’s what traveling is also about. And that’s why we are pleased to present this award to someone who turned an idea into a daring plan and, with a lot of openness and confidence, finally made an adventurous journey. A journey that most of us would never consider–and yet it inspires.”
This German national park is one of the best in the DACH region
How the First TRAVELBOOK Award Unfolded
There Were Only Winners!
Even though the top contenders in each category were crowned at the TRAVELBOOK Awards 2024, all nominees are already winners. They all made it to the shortlist of their categories: This was created by the TRAVELBOOK editorial team based on the respective longlists–naturally with a focus on trend travel destinations.
The eight-member expert jury had already answered a detailed criteria catalog for each shortlist destination and category by mid-June. A score from 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good) could be awarded for each criterion and destination. Here you can find the entire criteria catalog.
Based on the completed criteria catalog, there was also a large jury discussion in which the jury members finally determined the respective top spots.
The TRAVELBOOK Award in Pictures
And here is a small glimpse into the award ceremony on October 9, 2024:
