AAA Travel has announced the nine travel industry supplier winners of its 2016 Partner of the Year Awards. The awards, given in 15 categories, recognize the partners’ commitment to providing AAA travel agents and members with exemplary travel services and products, AAA said.
Additionally, AAA’s three top-performing travel agents were honored with four 2016 Superlative Awards. The awards were unveiled October 16 at the annual AAA Travel Conference in Orlando, FL.
Celebrity Cruises, AmaWaterways, Trafalgar, Pleasant Holidays, Best Western Hotels & Resorts and Air by Pleasant were recognized as AAA Travel’s Partners of the Year for providing the best overall experience in their respective product categories. Additional awards were given to recognize the top cruise, tour and lodging partners in marketing, member service and travel agency support.
2016 Partner of the Year Awards
Ocean Cruise Partner of the Year: Celebrity Cruises
River Cruise Partner of the Year: AmaWaterways
Escorted Tour Partner of the Year: Trafalgar
Independent Tour Partner of the Year: Pleasant Holidays
Lodging Partner of the Year: Best Western Hotels & Resorts
Transportation Partner of the Year: Air by Pleasant
Best in Marketing:
Cruise: Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
Tour: Insight Vacations
Lodging: Best Western Hotels & Resorts
Best in Member Service:
Cruise: AmaWaterways
Tour: Insight Vacations
Lodging: Best Western Hotels & Resorts
Best in Travel Agency Support:
Cruise: Royal Caribbean International
Tour: Insight Vacations
Lodging: Best Western Hotels & Resorts
 |
| Henry Dennis, AAA Carolinas, accepts a Superlative Award for Highest Association Sales Volume Overall. |
AAA also recognized three of the association’s top-performing travel agents with Superlative Awards in four categories.
2016 Superlative Award Winners:
Highest Association Sales Volume Overall: Henry Dennis, AAA Carolinas
Highest Association Revenue Produced Overall: Dinar Pavri, AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah
Highest Association Preferred Cruise Sales: Barbara Fuller, AAA Arizona
Highest Association Preferred Tour Sales: Henry Dennis, AAA Carolinas
Henry Dennis, a three-time Superlative Award winner, has more than 25 years’ experience in the travel industry. He is a Certified Travel Counselor and Accredited Cruise Counselor, as well as an accredited Lifestyle Specialist in the areas of luxury travel and destination weddings and honeymoons. Dennis is based in Charlotte, NC, where he has served AAA Carolinas’ members for more than 20 years.
Dinar Pavri has worked in the travel industry for more than 33 years, following a successful career in teaching and education. Pavri joined AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah in Concord, CA. in January 1998. She and her husband have traveled to six continents, with aspirations of making it to the seventh, Antarctica.
Barbara Fuller is a 35-year veteran of the travel industry. Her passion lies in adventure travel and cruising. She has worked at AAA Arizona for 20 years, and is based out of the Sun City West office. Fuller was born and raised outside of Stuttgart, Germany, but has called Arizona home for more than 20 years.
The Partner of the Year Award selection process included surveys and evaluations from the association’s club travel agency executives. Superlative Awards are based on agents’ leisure travel productivity and leisure group sales from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. Thousands of agents were eligible for the awards, and AAA clubs nominated 33 of their top achievers.
Visit AAA.com