International luxury travel network, Virtuoso, celebrated the close of its annual Virtuoso Travel Week event with its festive gala and Virtuoso Awards, where Big Five Tours & Expeditions was recognized as the winner of 2014 Sustainable Tourism Leadership. Held at Bellagio Resort & Casino, the gala attracted a record turnout of 2,668 attendees, which included some of the biggest names in the travel industry.

“Our organization comprises some of the top professionals in this industry, and these awards recognize the companies and individuals, such as Big Five Tours & Expeditions, who embody Virtuoso’s values as well as top performers who make this network so successful,” said Virtuoso Chairman and CEO, Matthew D. Upchurch, CTC. “We honor Big Five as a leader, having been awarded Sustainable Tourism Leadership in recognition of the company’s contributions.”

The final gala ceremony marked a successful week-long event that brought together the upper echelon of the travel industry, including Virtuoso member agencies and their travel advisors, hotels and resorts, cruise lines, tour operators, preferred destinations and tourism boards, airlines, on-sites and specialty services.

Big Five Tours & Expeditions, www.bigfive.com