After 87,000 surveys, 10 million votes and £650,000 of prizes, the results are in...

And so, finally, after months of anticipation, the results of the Telegraph Travel Awards 2017 have been revealed – and how! More than 87,000 of you took the time to complete the survey, tell us your travel preferences and cast a total of nearly 10 million votes. This makes it one of the most, if not the most, comprehensive, wide-ranging and independent travel surveys in Britain and a fantastic insight into what you love most about the trips you take. Not to mention where you’re planning to go next year and beyond.

Like all big moments, this one has been months in the making. First, back in May, came the unveiling of the simply stunning prizes on offer to all those completing the survey. From family to adventure to well-being travel; from a year’s private jet membership to an exclusive 12-day tour of India worth £120,000, these se worldwide experiences had a total l value of more than £650,000 and d made for some pretty exciting reading ding as we revealed them in our print sections week after week – and you ou entered in droves.

Then came the mammoth task of collating the results – and nerveracking months of waiting for those se included in the survey. Who would ld win? Would former consistent reader ader favourites such as New Zealand and nd Cape Town retain their crowns – or would the changing nature of how and where we travel open up opportunities for other contenders? How much would those who hadn’t succeeded in recent years have upped their game? Would new start-ups, more able to be agile and move with the chan changing whim of their customers, start to take ta on more established brands? And A how much would new travel tre trends – the ability to customise itineraries itineraries, for example, or travel solo without ex extortionate supplements – have infi infiltrated your holidays?

These awards aw are definitive. The results are entirely independent, therefore o offering a unique opportuni opportunity for the companies you travel wit with to hear what you really think of the service they deliver – an and how it compares with that

of their competitors.

Finally, it was time to reveal the results – and last Friday, at a superglam, skyscraping, star-studded event at London’s SushiSamba restaurant, the contenders gathered to find out how you voted. The awards, hosted and presented by Telegraph Travel columnist Mariella Frostrup, gave up some surprising, and some less so, results. Over the page, our Chief Consumer and Culture Editor Nick Trend gives his expert view on what this says about how we as travellers are changing – where and how we like to travel, and who with. It’s a fascinating insight, and one we’ll use to continue to bring you travel inspiration and expertise in 2018 and beyond. Thank you – and enjoy!