Australasia’s leading cruise specialists were recognised last weekend at the milestone 20th Cruise Industry Awards in Sydney.
Conducted by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia and attended by some 500 people, the gala ceremony saw 18 awards presented to travel agencies and individuals from across Australia and New Zealand.
The COVID pandemic had put a pause on the event for the past three years, with the last gathering in 2019. Saturday night’s event, dubbed ‘The CLIAs’ was an opportunity for cruise line personnel and travel advisors to come together in one venue and celebrate the region’s ongoing cruise reawakening and honour its top performers.
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“Travel agents across our region have shown incredible determination over recent years, and these awards help celebrate their resilience and their passion for cruising as we sail into a new era,” said Joel Katz, CLIA Managing Director Australasia.
“As cruising builds on its global renaissance, these awards pay thanks to the Australasian travel trade for its part in our success.”
The event was also a platform to induct The CLIA Hall of Fame Award, bestowed this year upon the recently retired Steve Odell. Odell’s cruise industry career has spanned 40 years and multiple cruise lines, including the launch of Silversea Cruises into this market and the start-up of operation for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in this market. Odell retired last December from his leadership role as Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific for Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises.
Other award honourees included Robyn Sinfield of Home Travel Company in Tasmania who was awarded Cruise Champion, Australia Megan Catterall of itravel, who was back in the winner’s circle in 2022 as Mobile Agent of the Year, Australia. The Sydney travel advisor won Agency Promotion of the Year in 2019; and Bicton Travel in Western Australia, named Small Cruise Agency of the Year, Australia. Bruce Piper, Publisher of Business Publishing Group was also spotlighted with the Cruise Champion – Media award.
Award categories had numerous finalists and sponsors, with their details and the winners highlighted in the below list.
Cruise Industry Awards Winners & Finalists
Rising Star, Australia
Rising Star award recognises an individual who has worked as a travel consultant for less than five years and who has shown tremendous achievements in their efforts to learn about and promote cruise holidays.
Winner: Clarees Purkiss, Cruise Travel Centre Green Hills
Finalists: Madeleine McIntyre, My Cruises; Anita Dearle, Champagne Travel Mandurah; Sarah Lee, Clean Cruising; and Paige Cameron, My Cruises
Sponsored by: Princess Cruises
Rising Star, New Zealand
Rising Star award recognises an individual who has worked as a travel consultant for less than five years and who has shown tremendous achievements in their efforts to learn about and promote cruise holidays.
Winner: Marise Barrett, helloworld Strandon
Marise Barrett has been a Travel Consultant at helloworld Strandon for nearly two years.
Finalists: Hayley Thompson, YOU Travel Manly; and Erin Graham, Zest4Travel
Sponsored by: Cunard
Mobile Agent of the Year, Australia
This award recognises a home-based or mobile consultant/broker who has demonstrated success, willingness to learn, resilience and determination in their field, has a proven sales focus and clear demonstration of industry engagement.
Winner: Megan Catterall, itravel
Megan Catterall has been a Business Travel Manager with itravel for almost five years and has 38 years of experience in the travel industry. Catterall was also the first person in Australia to get a 100% grade on the CLIA Masters Program.
Finalists: Rose Febo, TravelManagers Australia; Sarah Webster, Wayfinder Travel & Cruise; Mark Spurway, MTA – Mobile Travel Agents; and Karryn Bartlett, TravelManagers Australia
Sponsored by: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Broker of the Year, New Zealand
This award recognises a home-based or mobile consultant/broker who has demonstrated success, willingness to learn, resilience and determination in their field, has a proven sales focus and clear demonstration of industry engagement.
Winner: Sharon O’Brien, Live Breathe Travel
With over 30 years of experience across the leisure and corporate sector, Sharon brings a fresh approach to travel management, with authentic and enriching travel offers beyond the ordinary. Based in Auckland, her personal touch to each bespoke itinerary makes her an award-winning hit with clients.
Finalists: Kristin Edgeworth, 360 Edge Travel; Lucy Marshall, The Travel Brokers; and Denise Fowler, The Travel Brokers
Sponsored by: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Cruise Consultant of the Year, Australia
This award recognises a cruise consultant who has demonstrated success in their field, shows resilience and determination in a challenging environment, has a proven sales focus, shows dedication to their learning and self-improvement, and has a clear demonstration of industry engagement.
Winner: Sheron Konig, Travel Associates Rockhampton
Sheron Konig has more than 42 years of experience in the travel industry, offering her clients not only a cheerful disposition but expert knowledge. Konig has been with Travel Associates Rockhampton for more than 17 years.
Finalists: Amanda Taylor, My Cruises; Ingrid Hay, New Farm Travel; Martine Hero, Clean Cruising; and Jorden Krause, My Cruises
Sponsored by: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Cruise Consultant of the Year, New Zealand
This award recognises a cruise consultant who has demonstrated success in their field, shows resilience and determination in a challenging environment, has a proven sales focus, shows dedication to their learning and self-improvement, and has a clear demonstration of industry engagement.
Winner: Janine Mallon, Zest4Travel
Travel specialist and owner-operator of Zest for Travel, Janine has 20 years of retail travel experience – with a particular passion is food and wine travel – leading a team of travel specialists in Dunedin, NZ, who collectively boast more than 60 years of retail travel experience across customised getaways.
Finalists: Kay Rogers, YOU Travel Bethlehem; Dennis Payne, House of Travel Orewa; Kay Paulsen, cruisedeals.co.nz; and Lynne Bennett, World Travellers Whangarei
Sponsored by: P&O Cruises Australia
Cruise Champion, Australasia
This award recognises an individual who actively champions on behalf of the cruise industry. Nominees are asked to explain and provide examples of how they embody CLIA’s mission of educating, advocating and promoting on behalf of the cruise industry in ways that extend beyond a dales focus and into the winder interests of the Australasian cruise community.
Winner: Robyn Sinfield, Home Travel Company
Co-owner of Home Travel Company and CLIA Cruise Master, Robyn has over 40 years’ experience as a cruise and travel advisor. She has travelled to 120 countries and was recognised as the Best Mobile Cruise Consultant for Australia (CLIA 2020).
Finalists: Barry Downs, The Big Cruise Podcast; and Belle Goldie, itravel
Sponsored by: Explora Journeys
Cruise Line Champion, Australasia
This award recognises an individual cruise line sales representative who has actively championed the Australasian cruise community and provided exceptional support for CLIA’s travel agent membership.
Winner: Shaun Kavanagh, Princess Cruises
Shaun Kavanagh has more than 12 years of travel industry experience, seven of those working for Princess Cruises as its Business Development Manager and Key Account Manager.
Finalists: Christine Oliver, Holland America Line; and Mel Watson, Silversea Cruises
Sponsored by: MTA Mobile Travel Agents
Small Cruise Agency of the Year, Australia
This award recognises a travel agency that has demonstrated innovation and agility in a challenging business environment; shown continued relevance and enhanced profile through a strategic approach to marketing cruise travel and fostering cruise travel sales; elevated their agents’ industry knowledge and expertise through comprehensive educational opportunities and driven a reinvigoration of cruise travel sales and volume.
Winner: Bicton Travel
Carole Smethurst and her son Phil founded Perth’s leading luxury travel and cruise specialist in 1998. Together they create bespoke travel experiences for the luxury traveller with Carole being inducted into the CLIA Cruise Hall of Fame in 2016 for her service to the cruise industry.
Finalists: Main Beach Travel; Champagne Travel Mandurah and itravel Carlingford
Sponsored by: Oceania Cruises
Large Cruise Agency of the Year, Australia
This award recognises a travel agency that has demonstrated innovation and agility in a challenging business environment; shown continued relevance and enhanced profile through a strategic approach to marketing cruise travel and fostering cruise travel sales; elevated their agents’ industry knowledge and expertise through comprehensive educational opportunities and driven a reinvigoration of cruise travel sales and volume.
Winner: Ignite Travel Group
Queensland-based Ignite Travel Group is a multi-channelled travel marketing corporation parent to My Holiday Centre (MHC), RewardsCorp and Holiday Exclusives with 14 destination-specific brands under the MHC division providing full-service holiday packages with hand-select inclusions via exclusive partnerships.
Finalists: Goldman Travel Group; Hunter Travel Group; RAA Travel; Andrew Jones Travel and Phil Hoffmann Travel
Sponsored by: Celebrity Cruises
Small Cruise Agency of the Year, New Zealand
This award recognises a travel agency that has demonstrated innovation and agility in a challenging business environment; shown continued relevance and enhanced profile through a strategic approach to marketing cruise travel and fostering cruise travel sales; elevated their agents’ industry knowledge and expertise through comprehensive educational opportunities and driven a reinvigoration of cruise travel sales and volume.
Winner: YOU Travel Bethlehem
YOU Travel Bethlehem is an accredited multi-award winning agency offering tailor-made packages for business or pleasure travellers.
Finalists: Pukekohe Travel; YOU Travel Orewa; The Private Travel Company; and House of Travel Orewa
Sponsored by: Silversea Cruises
Cruise Month Promotion of the Year, Australasia
This award recognises an outstanding consumer promotion during the 2022 Cruise Month campaign.
Winners: Hunter Travel Group & MTA – Mobile Travel Agents
Made up of more than 100 travel professionals across five specialist areas, Helloworld Travel Hunter Travel Group (HTG) is a multi award-winning travel agency group. The areas of specialisation is corporate and leisure travel, cruise and escorted group, events and sporting travel. HTG is the largest travel agency group in the Hunter region.
Finalists: Sarah Fenton, MTA – Mobile Travel Agents and My Cruises
Sponsored by: Seabourn
Cruise Champion, Media – Australasia
This unlisted, first-time surprise accolade was awarded as a one-off salute to one of the industry’s most tireless advocates who championed cruising on an almost daily basis during the pandemic.
Winner: Bruce Piper, Business Publishing Group
Piper is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Cruise Weekly, Travel Daily, Travel Bulletin Australia and other titles.
Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame Award is a formal recognition to honour an individual whose efforts and accomplishments represent a significant contribution to the development of the Australasian cruise industry.
Recipient: Steve Odell
An internationally experienced executive in the luxury travel and cruise sectors around the world, Odell accumulated 40 years in the cruise segment, holding senior management roles for several international contemporary, premium and luxury cruise brands, before his early retirement in late 2022. His most recent position was SVP & Managing Director Asia Pacific, Oceania Cruises & Regent Seven Seas Cruises, based in Sydney.
Media Award – Australasia
This award aims to recognise the high standards of cruising journalism in print and electronic media across Australia and New Zealand.
Winner: Micheal Ferrante, The West Australian
Michael Ferrante is a Sub-Editor for Seven West Media in Western Australia and has been a journalist and editor for more than 20 years. Ferrante’s award-winning article “Huge Landmark for Holidays at Sea” was published in The West Australian.
Finalists: Andrea Black, Escape “Ready to Set Sail?”; Andrew Conway, Signature Luxury Travel & Style, “Pioneers of Sustainability”; and Brian Johnston, Traveller, “River Cruising Guide: Best Destinations, Cruise Companies and Planning Tips to go with the flow.”
Sponsored by: Azamara
Agency & Network Promotion of the Year
Network Promotion of the Year, Australasia
Winner: House of Travel, New Zealand “Disney Magic at Sea”
The largest privately owned travel company in New Zealand, House of Travel is also proudly the third largest travel organisation in the Asia Pacific region with a specialist and award-winning website that allows users to compare and book airline flights and holidays instantly.
Finalists: RAA Travel “Get on Board with RAA” – Cruise Wave Campaign 2022; YOU Travel New Zealand – “UK and Europe on Sale 2022”; Flight Centre Australia – “Flight Centre’s Biggest Cruise Campaign”; and Travel Associates – “Luxury Cruise Campaign 2022”
Sponsored by: Norwegian Cruise Line
Online Cruise Agency of the Year, Australasia
This award recognises an online travel agency that has demonstrated innovation in its approach to promoting cruise travel online and growth in online cruise sales, leveraging technology to deliver its sales and marketing strategies to drive its industry profile and demonstrated expertise.
Winner: Clean Cruising
In its 23rd year of operation, Clean Cruising is a family business built by Tosh Russel and her husband Peter. What started as a travel consultancy specialising in Queensland islands and luxury inbound travel (Globenet Travel), Clean Cruising has grown into an industry-leading business that offers unique cruise experiences. Clean Cruising has also previously won CLIA Online Agency of the Year in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
Finalists: Cruise1st; Our Vacation Centre; Cruise Guru and cruisedeals.co.nz
Sponsored by: Royal Caribbean International
Agency Promotion of the Year, Australia
Winner: My Cruises, “Virgin Voyages’ Exclusive Australia launch”
My Cruises is a part of the Flight Centre Travel Group and have been sending millions of travellers on awe-inspiring cruise adventures since 2015. Both CLIA and IATA accredited, is a trusted travel company with more than 40 years of travel experience to offer.
Finalists: Cruise Away – “Cruise Away TV”; Rose Febo – TravelManagers Australia, “Celebrating the Return of Luxury Cruising” and Megan Caterall – itravel, “Long Lunch with Silversea”
Sponsored by: Holland America Line
Agency Promotion of the Year, New Zealand
Winner: Bon Voyage Cruises & Travel, “Heritage Expeditions Always On” Campaign
A boutique agency based in Parnell, Auckland, with almost 30 years of travel know-how, Bon Voyage Cruises & Travel has an in-depth knowledge of the travel sector, with a focus on cruises and fly-cruise packages.
Finalists: YOU Travel Orewa “Reconnect with Europe” escorted cruise-tou; and Cruisedeals.com.nz powered by HOOT “Country Music Cruise”
Sponsored by: Travel Today
