Applications opened late last month for the 2019 Avis Travel Agent Scholarship. Established in 1996, the scholarship aims to encourage, recognise and reward outstanding customer service.
The sought-after scholarship offers the winner prizes valued at $35,000, including a range of experiences such as Qantas business class travel to an industry conference of the winner’s choosing within the Asia-Pacific region.
Tom Mooney, Managing Director – Pacific, Avis Budget Group said the scholarship continues to grow and set industry standards of exceptional innovation and customer service.
Mooney says it gives travel advisors an incentive to push themselves professionally and continue to go the extra mile for their customers, to set themselves apart from the competition.
“The Scholarship has the potential to fast track travel advisors’ careers and open doors for them, where they may not have had opportunities previously,” Mooney explained to LATTE.
“As part of the prize, the winner is offered professional coaching and mentoring, equipping them with the skills and confidence to actively promote themselves and accelerate their careers. The winner is also given the opportunity to attend an industry conference of their choice, enabling them to interact with like-minded individuals and other professionals in the industry to expand their network.
“Every year, applications are received from right across the travel industry. We have corporate travel agents, retail travel agents, bespoke travel managers, and everything in between. Historically we see a significant amount of applications from smaller boutiques and luxury agencies,” he said.
Why should luxury travel advisors nominate?
Mooney explains: “The Avis Travel Agent Scholarship is open to all types of travel advisors and we encourage those in the luxury space to apply. Applicants in this space have a wealth of customer service experience that makes for a range of interesting, diverse and engaging applications.
“The Avis Travel Agent Scholarship is designed to be rigorous, transparent and an impartial process that explores extraordinary customer service in the travel sector. Individuals are required to answer a series of questions in the most creative way they see fit, highlighting their personal approaches to creative or innovative solutions to customer problems.”
What are the key focuses for 2019?
“A new focus for the 2019 Scholarship is around sustainable travel and how travel advisors are keeping sustainability front of mind when working with their clients and customers. Applicants are encouraged to share an example on how they have done so, and the benefits it may have given to their business/company.”
Applications for the program are open until Monday 23 September. Finalists will be revealed on Thursday 10 October. Those finalists will have the opportunity to travel to Sydney to present to the judging panel ahead of the Awards Gala Dinner on Wednesday 13 November.
For more details, see http://avisscholarship.com/
Lead image from left: Robyn Sinfield, inaugural Avis Travel Agent Scholarship Winner (1997); Ian Jones, Commercial Director, Pacific, Avis Budget Group; Jo Patten, 2018 Avis Travel Agent Scholarship Winner and Lee Sayer, Travel Sales Manager, Avis Budget Group.
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