Writer Simon Calder paid tribute to Bermuda after his feature on the Island earned him the Broadcast Travel Programme of the year award.Mr Calder, the travel editor of The Independent newspaper in the UK, was given the honour for his ‘48 hours in Bermuda with Simon Calder’ feature which ran earlier this year.He visited the Island in February this year. The awards were officially presented at a reception in London on November 21.“For our film to be judged Broadcast Travel Programme of the Year, against strong competition in the incredibly crowded UK media, is a tribute to Bermuda and her people,” he said. “It was a great privilege to return to Bermuda this year to make the film, and the welcome and support we received was outstanding.“Creating an engaging film is always challenging, but the natural beauty, heritage and people of Bermuda made it a pleasure.”The prestigious national awards programme was created to recognise excellence and achievement within the fields of travel writing, photography and broadcasting in both trade and consumer press.Each award is judged by an advisory panel of senior travel industry executives.Other nominees in the category included Alan Titchmarsh Travel Show on ITV, Touring Thailand with Amanda Statham for Travelguru TV and Cruising the Amazon with Ged Cleugh for the Travel Channel.Minister of Tourism, Wayne Furbert added: “It is an honour to receive such an esteemed award and demonstrates our commitment to raising the profile of Bermuda with the UK market and continuing to showcase the Island as a holiday destination with so much more to offer.”