Susan Tanzman, president of Martin’s Travel & Tours in Los Angeles, and Susan Weissberg, president of Wylly’s Professional Travel in Coral Gables, FL, both members of Ensemble Travel Group, were named to Condé Nast Traveler’s list of “126 World’s Top Travel Specialists” for 2009. Tanzman was named a Hawaii specialist for the second consecutive year and Weissberg was honored for the third year in a row as a specialist in the Middle East/Israel category.
“We are extremely proud of Ensemble Travel Group members Susan Tanzman and Susan Weissberg for being named to Condé Nast Traveler’s circle of power agents,” says Jack E. Mannix, president and CEO of Ensemble Travel Group. “The publication’s screening process is extremely rigorous and the competition quite fierce, even for returning experts. The fact that they not only run their agencies but also are successful frontline agents speaks volumes to their professionalism and expertise!”
Tanzman has been connecting clients with Hawaii and its culture and people since 1974. According to Tanzman, she has traveled to Hawaii more than 200 times, averaging about five trips per year – four times so far in 2009. Over time she has developed special friendships with local suppliers in order to reward her clients with unique travel experiences, ranging from a chef-prepared intimate lunch on a remote beach and a private journey into Hawaii’s healing powers to a romantic island wedding and reception held surfside for the newlyweds and their 200 guests, Ensemble reports.
Well-known in the travel agent community, Tanzman’s accolades include being named Travel Agent of the Year by ASTA, chairing its 4,000-delegate World Congress in Hawaii in 2002, and serving as an officer and committee chair on numerous ASTA committees and initiatives. She also has received the American Eagle Award from American Airlines and the SATH Annual Award for her contributions to the industry. In addition to serving on the Ensemble Travel Group Board of Directors, Tanzman currently serves as vice president of the California Coalition of Travel Organizations and is often called to testify before the state House and Senate on a variety of travel industry issues, according to Ensemble.
Weissberg is well qualified as a specialist in Israel, a destination for which she has nearly 40 years of first-hand knowledge, including 10 years as a travel agent in Tel Aviv where her travel career began. Oftentimes, Weissberg, who is fluent in Hebrew, would accompany her inbound groups on tours of the country, giving her an inside perspective of her clients’ travel preferences. During nearly four decades of selling Israel, Weissberg has built strong relationships with key travel partners to deliver highly coveted VIP treatment for clients, including breaking waitlists and providing hard-to-get upgrades and special perks, Ensemble reports.
She is a founding member of the advisory board for ISRAMWORLD and a member of the Ensemble Travel Group Board of Directors and the National Marketing and Luxury Committees. Weissberg recently became a certified Space Tourism Specialist through the new partnership between Ensemble Travel Group and RocketShip Tours. Although recognized as an expert in Israel, Wylly’s Professional Travel, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2009, specializes in upscale and exotic cruises and land vacations worldwide. Earlier this year, the agency was named to Abercrombie & Kent’s elite 100 Club.
For more information about Susan Tanzman and Martin’s Travel & Tours, call (310) 390-7685 or visit the agency’s Web site at www.martinstravel.com. For more information about Susan Weissberg and Wylly’s Professional Travel, call (305) 442-2008 or visit the agency’s Web site at www.wyllystravel.com.
Founded in 1968, Ensemble Travel® Group is a proactive, member-owned international organization of nearly 1,000 professional travel agencies in the U.S. and Canada. Visit www.ensembletravel.com.
