7 suppliers win multiple awards at Agents’ Choice Gala

By Christine Roberti

June 21, 2024

Last night, Baxter Media hosted its Agent’s Choice Awards Gala at The Carlu in Toronto, where nearly 500 guests were in attendance of the sold out event.

Following a cocktail reception hosted by WestJet and WestJet Vacations, the night kicked off with the results of the 2024 Agents’ Choice Readership Survey, where more than 6,000 Canadian travel advisors had their say on their industry favourites.

And while there were familiar favourites as well as some new ones, in total, seven suppliers scooped up multiple awards for their efforts. The following are a list of multiple award winners:

Air Canada / Air Canada Vacations

Air Canada took home the award for Favourite Airline- Business/First-Class as well as Favourite Overall Supplier. Air Canada Vacations was awarded another four awards: Favourite Tour Operator- Mexico & Caribbean; Favourite Tour Operator- Europe/Middle East/Africa; Favourite Tour Operator- Mainland USA; and Favourite Tour Operator- Escorted/Guided.

“The Air Canada Vacations team is truly humbled by this recognition from our much-valued trade partners,” said Nino Montagnese, vice-president at Air Canada Vacations. “Over the course of the last year, we’ve launched several new and enhanced products, giving travel agents a wide range of new destinations and exciting experiences to offer their customers. From sun-soaked vacations to the Caribbean to cultural experiences in India, we’re proud to offer packages that are just as unique as each customer’s travel style. Our goal is to offer packages to every destination where Air Canada flies, and we’re making great headway towards that goal. I would like to thank everyone who made these awards possible today. Recognitions like these are a testament to the remarkable work of our dedicated team and the continued trust and support of our trade partners.”

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises took home two awards: Favourite Cruise Line- Medium and Favourite Cruise Line- Small & Expedition.

“Celebrity Cruises is honoured and humbled to receive these two prestigious Baxter Awards once again. Our travel partners are the true stars and none of this could have been accomplished without them. Regardless of the current environment, economy, or trends that wave through our country; we stick together. The travel business is based off of strong relationships, collaborations and trust which we strive to cultivate every day,” said Allan Brooks, national director of sales, Canada, Celebrity Cruises.

“We pride ourselves on our unwavering support, innovative processes, and transparency, that all lead to our mutual success,” he continued. “Celebrity Cruises is not the new kid on the block, but we continue to be the leaders in the industry through our award-winning ships, best in class support and responsible business practices. We have so much more to accomplish and can’t wait to share with for our partners and guests alike.”

Exotik Journeys & TravelBrands

Exotik Journeys won the award Favourite Tour Operator-Niche while TravelBrands took home the award for Favourite Tour Operator FIT and Favourite Consolidator.

“We are incredibly honoured to be recognized at the 2024 Agents’ Choice Awards Gala! These awards underscore our dedication to delivering exceptional service and innovative solutions in the travel industry,” said Nathalie Tanious, president & CEO of H.I.S.-Red Label Vacations. “Our success rests on strong relationships, leading-edge technology, and a committed team devoted to crafting extraordinary travel experiences. This acknowledgment motivates us to push boundaries further and strive for continual improvement.

Thank you to Baxter Media for hosting such a fantastic event and celebrating what we believe is the world’s best industry. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the amazing travel agents who voted for TravelBrands and Exotik Journeys!”

G Adventures

Earning three awards for the evening was G Adventures, who scooped up Favourite Tour Operator- Central/South America, Favourite Tour Operator-Adventure, and Most Positive Industry Impact.

“Thank you so much to Baxter Media for another fabulous night recognizing our great travel industry. A huge thanks to everyone who voted for G Adventures. We never take our agents for granted and our nominations and our awards truly mean the world to all us at G adventures,” said David Green, VP sales and customer relations and general manager for Canada.

“For over 34 years now we’ve put our agent community at the heart of everything we do and we continue to work on new initiative ideas to help agents sell G Adventures and we simply can’t do what we do without their help,” he continued. “Over the last year, in addition to our hugely popular agent incentive programme “G Normous”, we launched “An Evening with G Adventures and friends events across Canada; we launched our global “Taylor Swift” incentive and we also hosted agents from around the world at our GX Summit in Peru last year, with many more agents due to attend GX India in September. For any agent that wants to learn more about G Adventures, we also launched our monthly “In the Loop” webinars where agents not only learn, but they also have the chance to win prizes, like trips and fam opportunities! Again, from the bottom of our hearts, thanks for all your support and with your help we continue to be the leaders in community tourism and changing lives through travel.”

Jamaica Tourist Board

The Jamaica Tourist Board won two awards: Favourite Caribbean/Mexico Tourist Board and Favourite Wedding/Honeymoon/Romance Destination.

“We are truly honoured by the Agents’ Choice Awards we received,” said Angella Bennett, regional director, Jamaica Tourist Board Canada. “These awards are a tribute to the hard work and creativity of our Canadian team, for endlessly going over and above to support agents across the country. As always, we continue to foster strong bonds within the Canadian travel community and keep them engaged and excited about what makes Jamaica so special. We continue to share the joy of Jamaica at our digital quarterly open house series and live in-person curated events showcasing our vibrant culture. Jamaica is truly all about the people. We’re loving, energetic and colourful and always look forward to welcoming guests to the beauty and magic of our island.”

Sandals

Taking home not one, but three awards for the evening was Sandals, who was voted Favourite Hotel Brand- All-Inclusive Caribbean; Favourite Education Program; andFavourite Responsible/Philanthropic Travel Foundation.

“It’s extremely exciting – and incredibly humbling – to repeat as “Favourite Hotel Brand – All-Inclusive Caribbean” once again this year. We never rest on our laurels, so to know that this honour comes directly from Canadian travel advisors serves as further validation that our entire sales team – both our BDMs out on the road and our inside sales department – continue to excel and exceed expectations,” said Maureen Barnes-Smith, vice-president, sales & marketing, Canada, Unique Vacations Canada Inc.

“Over the past few years, we’ve made a conscious decision to introduce new and innovative training programs designed specifically for the Canadian market by our team right here in Canada, such as our Masterclass or “Sandals in 10” series,” she continued. “We’ve already received such positive feedback from Canadian advisors and to now also be honoured as their “Favourite Education Program”, I could not be more proud.

2024 marks the 15th anniversary of the Sandals Foundation so to be named as “Favourite Responsible/Philanthropic Travel Foundation” in the same year is just icing on the cake. Canadian travel advisors and their clients have long embraced the amazing work that the Sandals Foundation does and we truly appreciate their support to inspire hope across the Caribbean.”

Transat

Transat was named Favourite Tour Operator- Group and Favourite Airline- Leisure.

“On behalf of the Transat commercial teams and our on-board crew, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the travel agents who voted for us as their Favourite Group Tour Operator and Favourite Leisure Airline at the Agent’s Choice Gala,” said Joseph Adamo, chief sales and marketing officer, Transat. “The trust you place in us is truly invaluable and has been for the past 36 years. At the heart of this partnership is our shared commitment to excellent customer service, which drives us to new heights every day. We will continue to encourage our passengers, your clients, to be transformed by the power of travel as we look forward to many more years of fruitful cooperation.”