Forbes Travel Guide’s “Travel Professional of the Year”: James Turner

James Turner Named Forbes Travel Guide’s “Travel Professional of the Year” for Exceptional Leadership and Commitment To Excellence in the Travel Profession.

360 Private Travel is delighted that its founder and CEO, James Turner, has been awarded the Forbes Travel Guide’s ‘Travel Professional of the Year’ for 2025, presented at The Summit in Monaco last week. The award commended his leadership in creating a client-centric luxury travel business as well as his passion for industry growth while keeping the needs of his team as his unwavering priority.

360 Private Travel is an esteemed club for global luxury travel professionals, built on shared values and a commitment to creating extraordinary itineraries. The unique business model is anchored in the integrity of connections with suppliers, advisors, clients, and employees alike.

Under James’ leadership, 360 Private Travel has not only achieved remarkable growth in the luxury travel market but has also strengthened its commitment to fostering trusted relationships.

Richard Lebowitz, Senior Vice President of Travel Industry Outreach at Forbes Travel Guide, said: “[James] does everything to remove obstacles so that [his team] can sell. He gets them. He understands that to be a major stress. He changed his business model. He’s expanding now in seven countries. He’s focused on growth without compromising service.”

James started 360 Private Travel in 2012 with just four members of staff, overseeing all Head Office functions himself, including systems, guidance, licensing and financial investment.

With extensive experience in global travel and airline sectors, he recognised what he valued – “a business where communication was direct and personal with the client” – and married this with a significant gap in existing travel business models.

Today, the company seamlessly blends cutting-edge technology and human expertise to help its people deliver the very best travel experiences to clients.

360 Private Travel now comprises over 200 employees and independent travel advisors across the world, with offices opened in Hong Kong, Singapore, mainland Europe, and now in the USA and Japan, and the UAE in Q2 of 2025.

As part of its growth, the company even created its own technology from scratch, a process it says was both expensive and difficult but incredibly worthwhile.

Speaking of his observations of other companies, James shares: “They didn’t really know their clients at all, and often, they would vanish after a single transaction. I sensed that if you built a rapport with them and looked after them, they’d want to come back again and again.”

“We had to create a high-touch concierge ‘club’ they could be a part of for both parties to enjoy the benefits of a long relationship.”

By 2016, the company started to attract more and more what it calls ‘360 Partners’ to grow its businesses and has seen exponential growth from this point on, including doubling in size every two years on average.

One of the technologies that 360 Private Travel has created is a bespoke platform called Juno, which streamlines the logistical complexities of planning luxury travel.

The technology allows travel professionals to create highly personalised itineraries with speed and efficiency and affords a seamless and stress-free travel experience for clients, with the company keeping its advisers at the heart of everything it does.

James shares: “We believe that this recognition from the FT Summit is a result of our core business philosophy. At 360 Private Travel, nurturing strong, trusted relationships across all levels of our operations is at the core of what we do, and this approach has been instrumental in both our growth and in delivering unparalleled experiences to our clients.”

Looking ahead, James has plans to grow 360 Private Travel’s global footprint further while upholding the standards that earned the company the prestigious award.

The accolade from the FT Summit serves as a motivator to continue pushing the boundaries of what 360 Private Travel offers and innovating within the luxury travel space to enhance both the company’s partnerships and client experiences.

360 Private Travel is an esteemed club for international luxury travel professionals who are committed to curating exceptional itineraries for their clients.

The company offers a supportive network of like-minded individuals by bringing together the best global travel specialists who are united by their shared values, interests and expectations of planning extraordinary experiences.