A KENDAL man has been hailed as one of the most influential people in the travel industry.

Dr Paul Johnson, who runs A Luxury Travel Blog (www.aluxurytravelblog.com) has been recognised as the 'Best Travel Influencer' in the Innovations in Travel Awards run by WIRED magazine and luxury luggage brand TUMI.

During his 10 years running A Luxury Travel Blog, Paul has attracted over 575,000 followers on Twitter, and more than 275,000 fans on Facebook.

In what has often been billed as 'the best job in the world', recent projects have seen him travel right across Nepal with Land Rover, make a short film about architecture in Rotterdam for American Express, take an exclusive safari in South Africa with Hayes & Jarvis and review business class flights for a number of leading airlines.

Other adventures have included travelling by helicopter over the forests of Lithuania, visiting the world's biggest fish market in Tokyo, and feasting on bear in Finland.