Grab yourself a coffee and catch up on today’s news in brief – the latest updates from the industry and everything you need to know in bite-size pieces.
Full List of NTIA Finalists released
The full list of NTIA Finalists is now available with the release of the outstanding Business Finalists.
NTIA 2024 will be held at ICC Sydney on Saturday, 26 October, with the support of major sponsor Singapore Airlines. The inaugural Beyond Borders Summit at ICC Sydney is happening the day before and is open to all in the Travel industry for unprecedented access to high-quality cross-industry learning and networking.
Aussie Para Surf Champ to speak at ACA Conference Breakfast
Shark attack survivor, Chris Blowes, has been confirmed as the keynote speaker at this year’s Australian Cruise Association Conference breakfast on Friday, 6 September.
An above-knee amputee, Chris’ story is inspirational. On the morning of ANZAC Day in 2015, Chris was surfing near Port Lincoln when he was attacked by a great white shark. He had lost a leg, his heart had stopped and he was at the bottom of a cliff, 35km from the nearest country hospital on the Eyre Peninsula and a further 600km from the nearest trauma centre in Adelaide. Chris should have died – but he didn’t.
Learning to walk again was just the first step on his road to recovery, but his goals were focused on getting back to work as a builder and, more importantly, surfing.
A disability advocate, Chris constantly challenges the stereotypes associated with disability. He is the managing director of his own successful building business, and co-author of the book ‘Caught Inside’ and was named one of the Top 10 Inspirational People in South Australia by The Advertiser in 2015. And he’s back surfing!
He is the Australian Para Surf Champion 2022 and represented Australia at the World Para Surf Titles in California.
Shark attack survivor Chris Blowes at West Beach on December 11, 2020. Chris is holding the board he was on when a great white took his leg in 2015. Picture Matt Turner.
The breakfast is being sponsored by Austrade, the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, and is being held at The Playford Adelaide, a member of the exclusive MGallery Sofitel Collection.
Hat Trick for Ignite Travel’s Amanda Taylor
Cruise Consultant, Amanda Taylor of Ignite Travel Group is celebrating her third consecutive win as Number One Leisure Consultant Globally at Flight Centre’s annual Global Gathering.
“Clients love to feel special and valued, which is why I treat each booking as if it were for myself,” says Amanda. “I select the best cabins and prioritise attention to detail to ensure the booking experience is enjoyable and seamless. Educational trips in the past year have definitely helped me with selling. Experiencing destinations firsthand is vital in travel to provide clients with the best information. My trips included South Africa, Tanzania, and Botswana with Bench, the Eastern Mediterranean with Oceania, and New Zealand.”
Working in the My Cruises sales division for more than five years, Amanda earned a spot at Flight Centre’s annual Global Gathering, an event created to celebrate Flight Centre’s top 10 per cent of achievers worldwide, held this year in Lisbon, Portugal.
Global Gathering launched in 1987 and has been a hub for celebrating Flight Centre and its subsidiary’s top-tier sales and support staff ever since. Growing larger each year as sales and success continue to soar, “Global” has now become an event employees strive to attend, working hard all year to receive that golden ticket.
Virtuoso Travel Awards winners
Virtuoso concluded its 36th annual Virtuoso Travel Week with an elegant evening of recognition honouring advisors, member agencies and partners from all corners of the world that have gone above and beyond in the travel industry over the past year. Taking place August 10-16, this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week was held in Las Vegas at Bellagio Resort & Casino, ARIA Resort & Casino, Vdara Hotel & Spa and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
Nominations for the Virtuoso Global Awards came from a survey of the Virtuoso network, and elected members of Virtuoso’s various Boards and Committees voted to determine the winners.
WINNERS
Best Airline
Singapore Airlines
Best Hotel
Bulgari Hotel Roma
Best New or Reimagined Hotel
Raffles London at the OWO
Hotelier of the Year
Simone Giorgi/Park Hyatt Milano
Best On-site
Leonidas Travel – Croatia
Best Tour Operator
Wilderness
Best Tourism Board
Switzerland Tourism
Best Specialty or Insurance Partner
Axus Travel App
Respected Agency Culture
:
Brownell Travel
Respected Achievement Award
Gaby Galvez/NUBA
Luminary
Micato Safaris
Rising Star
Eli Wagner/Wagner Bespoke Travel, an independent affiliate of Coastline Travel Advisors
Ruby of Siam
Jay Johnson/Coastline Travel Advisors
TOP IMAGE: Switzerland Tourism wins Virtuoso’s Best Tourism Board award
