Royal’s twin NTIA win
ROYAL Caribbean Int’l added two shiny new NTIAs to its collection on Sat, after being named Best Cruise Operator, Int’l & Best Cruise Operator, Domestic at the AFTA awards night.
The cruise line has claimed the Best Cruise Operator gong nine times since 2005 and Adam Armstrong, md Australia and NZ for Royal Caribbean recognised the efforts of the trade.
“Our travel agent partners play a huge role in the success of our cruise brand sailing here in Australia and around the world,” Armstrong said.
APT continued its three-year streak and took home the award for Best River Cruise Operator, which it has claimed since the category’s inception.
Speaking to CW on Sat, Robert McGeary, director of APT said the win was “a really big deal for us,” particularly given it’s the company’s 90th year.
“I think the reason travel agents chose us is our sales team work really hard with travel agents and build a strong rapport,” he said.
“Our product is very strong as well, and our customers keep voting us 10 out of 10 and we work very hard in making sure that customer satisfaction is right up there as good as it can be.”
Fantasea’s Stephanie Hu was named Young Sales Executive - Industry Supplier and the award was accepted by Anthony Hayes, ceo of Fantasea Cruising.
“It is a great acknowledgement for the great work she has done and the great leader she is in our industry,” Hayes told CW.
Phil Hoffmann Travel returned to the stage to accept Best Travel Agency Retail - Multi Location after a four-year hiatus.
The award was the company’s 11th NTIA - more on page two.
AFTA’S National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) on Sat attracted more than 1,400 travel reps to celebrate the trade’s best in a flashy gala night.
Held at the ICC Sydney for the first time, the event marked 60 years of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA).
The night culminated with a performance by ARIA-nominated Ricki-Lee Coulter, who quickly got the crowd to their feet. For all the winners, CLICK HERE. The team from APT is pictured above celebrating their win and the squad from Royal Caribbean International are below.