This week in the cruise industry a number of cruise lines and cruise travel agencies were recognized for their achievements.
At Virtuoso Travel Week, Virtuoso named Oceania Cruises its “Best Premium Cruise Line” for the sixth consecutive year.
Oceania was honored at the 2016 Virtuoso Gala Awards, which were held at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The Virtuoso Awards allow the network’s partners to vote for the winning agencies and advisors, while agency members select partner winners. This year Virtuoso received more than 2,200 votes from its members and partners.
Also at Virtuoso Travel Week, the luxury travel network named Lindblad Expeditions the winner of its 2016 Virtuoso Best VAST Partner Award (Virtuoso Active & Specialty Travel).
The award, which Lindblad received at the Destination Showcase Dinner & Awards, recognizes extraordinary companies that offer exclusive adventures and once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences, Virtuoso said.
Elsewhere in the cruise industry, at the American Express Travel 2016 Preferred Supplier Forum in New York City AmaWaterways was named the American Express Cruise Supplier of the Year.
The award recognizes exceptional service and network commitment with a focus on the customer experience, American Express said.
Finally, this week Carnival Cruise Line honored its top 15 travel agencies in the U.S. and Canada with its third annual “Excellence Awards.”
This year, the line added new segment-specific categories to the awards based on each agency’s specialization, as well as a new “Ted Arison Founder’s Award,” named for Carnival Cruise Line’s late founder, Ted Arison.
The winners are:
- Ted Arison Founder’s Award: World Travel Holdings
- Outstanding Charter Partner: Whet Travel
- Outstanding Incentive Sales Partner: Morris Meetings & Incentives
- Outstanding Home Based Network: Cruise Planners
- Outstanding Online Agency: Crown Cruise Vacations
- Outstanding Affinity Group Agency: SinglesCruise.com
- Outstanding Canadian Partner: TravelBrands
- Outstanding Marketing Excellence: Travel Planners International
- Outstanding Industry Innovation: International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (ICE)
- Carnival’s Rising Star Agency: Ucruising Vacations
- Outstanding Cruise Rookie Partner: Expedia Inc. & Expedia CruiseShipCenters
- Brand Essence Outstanding Partner: GalaxSea Cruises
- Outstanding Retail Travel Agency: Cruise Corner
- Outstanding Travel Partner – Eastern Region: Cruises & Tours Unlimited
- Outstanding Travel Partner – Western Region: Uniglobe Travel Center
Keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for the latest cruise travel news, trends and updates.