Airlines, tour operators and hoteliers faced huge challenges this year with a "perfect storm" of recession and a slump in sterling making holidays more expensive at a time when people could least afford them. Despite this, however, many companies not only survived but thrived. Holidays are still regarded as top priorities for many, surveys show.
Certainly the number of readers taking part in our Travel Awards survey seems to show no loss of appetite for holidays — 19,248 gave us their views this year, up from 17,000 last year.
Favourite UK city
Edinburgh takes the top spot for the 10th year in a row. York, Bath, Belfast and Glasgow continue to jockey for runners-up spots
Top five: 1. Edinburgh 2. York 3. Bath 4. Belfast 5. Glasgow
Favourite overseas city
Sydney keeps the crown it took from Hong Kong last year. Cape Town, bracing iteself for next year's invasion of World Cup football fans, leaps up five places to No 2.
· Top five: 1. Sydney 2. Cape Town 3. New York 4. San Francisco 5. Berlin
Favourite long-haul country
New Zealand wins the prize for the second year running. It scored a 98.1% satisfaction rate.
Top five: 1. New Zealand 2. Cambodia 3. Chile 4. Vietnam 5. Japan
Favourite European country
Switzerland hangs on to the top spot for the third year. Denmark enters the chart at 6.
Top five: 1. Switzerland 2. Norway 3. Austria 4. Sweden 5. Italy
Best UK hotel
Hoxton Hotel, which joined the list only last year, takes top spot. It revolutionised pricing policies in the hotel industry by adopting the low-cost airline model.
Top five: 1. Hoxton Hotel 2. Hotel du Vin 3. City Inn 4. Malmaison 5. The Queen's Hotel
Best overseas hotel
Taj Hotels moves up from number 5 to become the most popular overseas hotel.
Top five: 1. Taj Hotels 2. Oberoi Hotels & Resorts 3. Mandarin Oriental 4. Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts 5. Peninsula Hotel
Favourite UK tourist attraction
The British Museum, the first national public museum in the world, ousts the Victoria and Albert Museum from the top.
Top five: 1. British Museum 2. London Eye 3. Tate Modern 4. Eden Project 5. Alton Towers
Favourite overseas tourist attraction
The spectacular Iguazú Falls, on the Argentine-Brazil border, beats the ruined city of Machu Picchu, last year's winner, to take the top prize.
Top five: 1. Iguazú Falls 2. Angkor Temple Complex 3. Machu Picchu 4. Grand Canyon National Park 5. Great Barrier Reef
Best tour operator
Divided into two sub-categories (large: more than 50,000 passengers a year; small: less than 50,000). Trailfinders is again the favourite large operator with Guardian readers while Rainbow Tours moves up from last year's No 4 to this year's favourite small operator.
Top five: Large: 1. Trailfinders 2. Voyages Jules Verne 3. Kuoni 4. Saga Holidays 5. Virgin Holidays. Small: 1. Rainbow Tours 2. Audley Travel 3. Original Travel 4. Imagine Africa 5. Saddle Skedaddle
Best travel agent
Travel Counsellors returns to the top slot for the third time, after being knocked off last year by Journeys a la Carte, which slips to second place.
Top five: 1. Travel Counsellors 2. Journeys a La Carte 3. Travelbag 4. British Airways Holidays 5. Dial A Flight
Short break companies
Among the large carriers, Trailfinders was the winner. Original Travel kept the prize among the small firms — its third year in a row.
Top five: Large: 1. Trailfinders 2. Travelbag 3. Voyages Jules Verne 4. Virgin Holidays 5. Airmiles. Small: Original Travel 2. Audley Travel 3. Inntravel 4. VFB Holidays 5. Riviera Travel
Best ski company
Peak Retreats, the French Alps specialist that finds hidden gems ignored by many other operators, comes in from nowhere to snatch the prize.
Top five: 1. Peak Retreats 2. Snowline 3. Inntravel 4. Ski Independence 5. Ski Olympic
Best cruise line
Silversea Cruises, also unranked last year, stole the crown from under the noses of the mainstream companies.
Top five: 1. Silversea Cruises 2. Cunard 3. Royal Caribbean 4. Celebrity Cruises 5. Hurtigruten
Best short-haul airline
Swiss, formed after the 2002 bankruptcy of Swissair, takes the title from its parent company, Lufthansa.
Top five: 1. Swiss 2. Lufthansa 3. KLM 4. British Airways 5. SAS Scandinavian Airlines
Best long-haul airline
Singapore Airlines remains in the top spot. It has won this category every year since it was introduced in 2004.
Top five: 1. Singapore Airlines 2. Air New Zealand 3. Jet Airways 4. Emirates 5. Etihad Airways
Best business airline
Singapore Airlines beat Emirates and Virgin Atlantic to the top.
Top five: 1. Singapore Airlines 2. Emirates 3. Virgin Atlantic 4. Qantas 5. Lufthansa
Best train company
Eurostar takes the honours for the third year in a row.
Top five: 1. Eurostar 2. Chiltern Railways 3. Eurotunnel 4. First ScotRail 5. Virgin Trains
Best ferry company
Norfolk Lines, which sails from Dover to Dunkerque and Liverpool to Belfast and Dublin, pipped Speed Ferries to the top slot.
Top five: 1. Norfolk Lines 2. Brittany Ferries 3. Caledonian Macbrayne 4. Stena Line 5. Speed Ferries
Judged awards
Ethical travel award
Winner: Sandele Eco-Retreat, Gambia
Second: Bulungula Lodge, South Africa
Third: Cnoc Suain, Ireland
Best travel website
Winner: Kayak.com
Best brochure
Winner: Discover the World, Iceland and Greenland
Second: Virgin Holidays + Hip Hotels
Third: Classic Cottages