The return of Celebrity Cruises’ annual awards ceremony saw key travel industry figures commended for their contribution to the sector over the last two years.
Outstanding achievement awards were given to Advantage Travel Group chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said, Haslemere Travel managing director Gemma Antrobus and Andy Harmer, managing director of Clia UK & Ireland.
The line praised Lo Bue-Said for her work with the UK government on the resumption of the travel industry and for “amplifying its voice through the media”, while Antrobus was commended for “leading the charge for the industry sector” and lending “incredible support” to the cruise industry. Meanwhile, Harmer was recognised for his “unparalleled contribution to the restart of the entire cruise sector”.
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The event in London brought together more than 60 travel partners and was hosted by Jo Rzymowska, the line’s vice president and managing director for EMEA, and Claire Stirrup, sales director for UK and Ireland. It was the first time the event had taken place in two years due to the pandemic.
Special recognition awards were also handed to Audley Travel, Cruise.co.uk, ROL Cruise and Stewart Travel.
Rzymowska said: “It has been a poignant moment to be back together to celebrate and remind each other of the power of partnership. Today was about saying a massive thank you to everyone for all they have done not just for us, but for travel overall, as well as recognising the incredible contribution from partners and people across our wonderful industry, after a period of intense hardship.
“Our partners within the trade and across the industry are integral to all that we do. We look forward to coming back together in just six weeks’ time, as we launch Celebrity Beyond to the world in Southampton.”
Celebrity Cruises returned to service in 2021, welcoming up to 70% of its fleet back to waters around the world, including the newly revamped Celebrity Silhouette and the long-awaited debut of Celebrity Apex.
Celebrity Beyond, the third in the line’s Edge series, will sail its maiden voyage from Southampton next month, where it will welcome more than 1,000 travel partners onboard.
The ship will then spend the summer in the Mediterranean before heading to the Caribbean in October.
Celebrity Cruises said it continued to support travel partners through a range of sales and marketing toolkits, including applicable sailing guides, social-ready content, digital banners and training modules – all hosted on trade portal Celebrity Central.