Southport cruise specialist Gillian Williams has been named TTG Cruise Expert of the Year for an extraordinary third time, after taking home one of the UK travel industry’s most prestigious individual awards.
Gillian, who runs Southport Cruise and Travel, part of the family-owned Travel Village Group, received the award at a ceremony at The Roundhouse in London on 23rd September 2026.
She previously won the title in 2023 and 2025, meaning she has now been crowned the UK’s leading cruise expert three times in just four years.
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Her latest achievement follows another hugely successful year for the Southport-based travel specialist, who has built a loyal customer following both locally and across the UK.
TTG judges praised Gill as “a true cruise expert in every sense”, and highlighted the loyalty Gill has built with her customers, with around 75% of her bookings coming from repeat clients – many of whom return to her throughout the year to arrange all kinds of holidays, not just cruises.
They also recognised Gill’s commitment to building relationships with customers away from individual bookings, including hosting her own cruise show in the Southport area and organising a special customer appreciation event in Blackpool.
Gill has also co-hosted luxury cruises alongside interior designer and television personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, while judges praised her down-to-earth approach to helping customers understand issues such as sustainability within travel.
Speaking after collecting her third award, Gill said:
“I honestly can’t believe I’ve won Cruise Expert of the Year for a third time. To have won in 2023, 2025 and now again in 2026 is incredibly special, and I’m so proud to bring the award back to Southport.
“I absolutely love what I do and I’m incredibly passionate about cruising. For me, it’s all about getting to know my customers, understanding what they want from their holiday and using my experience to help create something really special for them.
“So many of my customers have been with me for years and I never take that loyalty for granted. They recommend me to friends and family, come along to our events and genuinely become part of the journey with us.
“I couldn’t have achieved this without them, or without the fantastic team around me at Southport Cruise and Travel and Travel Village Group.”
Gill was joined at the London ceremony by her husband Richard Williams, who had also helped bring her award entry to life by creating the video submission shown to the judging panel.
Richard said:
“Anyone who knows Gill knows how much she puts into her business and how much she genuinely cares about her customers.
“I was incredibly proud when she won for the first time, and somehow even more proud the second time. Watching her name be announced for a third time was something else entirely.
“She’ll probably hate me saying it, but the amount of work she puts in behind the scenes is phenomenal. This award is thoroughly deserved.”
Gill’s business is part of Travel Village Group, a fourth-generation family-owned travel company established in 1959.
Travel Village Group CEO Phil Nuttall said:
“To win such a prestigious individual award once is fantastic. To win it three times in four years is an extraordinary achievement.
“Gill combines exceptional knowledge with entrepreneurial flair and, most importantly, genuine care for her customers. We are incredibly proud to have her as part of the Travel Village Group family.”
Despite the national recognition, Gill says her focus remains firmly on the people who trust her to arrange their holidays.
“Every booking is personal to the customer,” she added. “People are trusting me with their money, their time and often holidays they’ve been looking forward to for years.
“To be recognised nationally for doing something I genuinely love is a fantastic feeling.”
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