A tour operator is celebrating picking up a national award.

Keswick-based Archipelago Choice has been named as Best Small Holiday Company to the Iberian Peninsula and Islands for its Azores, Madeira and mainland Portugal holidays at this year’s British Travel Awards.

It is the fourth year in a row that the company has picked up the award.

This year over 867, 200 votes were cast by members of the public in the awards.

Director Ian Coates said the fact the awards were voted for by the public made them particularly important.

He said: “We’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone who voted for us.

"These prestigious awards are the ones that mean the most to us because they reflect the continued high quality of service we provide to our amazing clients from all over the world who travel with us to the Azores and Madeira, and our special celebratory twentieth anniversary destination, mainland Portugal.

“We believe our offering of authentic, unique and personal experiences is as a result of us knowing our destinations so well.

"We carefully select our partners to ensure people travelling with us have a genuine experience, but at the same time we are supporting the local independent accommodation and activity providers, ensuring the businesses we work with are sustainable into the future.

"Whether you’re after an action-packed adventure holiday or want to enjoy some walking combined with relaxation, we are ready to answer all your questions.

"Almost all of our customers say that their holiday with us is the best they’ve ever had."

British Travel Awards’ chief executive Lorraine Barnes Burton said: “The British Travel Awards are voted for entirely by the travelling public and 2019 was a fantastic year for consumer engagement with registered voters up 20 per cent on 2018 and the number of votes cast increased by 15 per cent to 867,221.

"Competition was fierce across many of the categories and this year’s winners should be very proud."