Travel agents selling cruise have been honoured by Clia at is ninth annual awards ceremony.
Businesses and individuals that demonstrated exceptional levels of knowledge, leadership and inspiration throughout the year were recognised at Clia’s Cruise Excellence Awards.
Midcounties took home the award for High Street Travel Agency of the Year, while World Travel Holdings won Online Travel Agent of the Year and Travel Agent Business of the Year.
The Travel Network Group scooped the Cruise Innovation award at the awards at DeVere Wokefield Estate near Reading.
The coveted Clia Rising Star award went to Hertfordshire-based business Cruise Direction which was only set up last year by Paul Frost.
Carol Kirkham won Cruise Manager of the Year and Cruise.co.uk’s Sam Griffiths received Cruise Advocate of the Year.
Adele Foster was awarded the Travel Agent Advisory Council Chairs prize.
Michelle Russell and Phil Nuttall both won gongs for their outstanding contribution to the cruise industry.
Hill Dickinson’s Jo Kolatsis collected a posthumous award on behalf of Maria Pittordis who passed away in October aged 55.
And Clia chairman for UK & Ireland Stuart Leven announced that the Outstanding Contribution Award presented at the Cruise Media Awards in March would be renamed in memory of John Honeywell.
The journalist, known to many as Captian Greybeard, also died earlier this year, aged 69.