ORLANDO, FLA. – AAA Travel, one of the largest leisure travel agencies in North America, presented nine travel industry suppliers with 2016 Partner of the Year Awards. The prestigious awards, given in 15 categories, recognize the partners’ commitment to providing AAA travel agents and members with exemplary travel services and products. Additionally, AAA’s three top-performing travel agents were honored with four highly coveted 2016 Superlative Awards. The awards were unveiled October 16 at the annual AAA Travel Conference in Orlando, Fla.
Celebrity Cruises, AmaWaterways, Trafalgar, Pleasant Holidays, Best Western Hotels & Resorts and Air by Pleasant were recognized as AAA Travel’s Partners of the Year for providing the best overall experience in their respective product categories. Additional awards were given to recognize the top cruise, tour and lodging partners in marketing, member service and travel agency support.
“We are proud to present AAA Travel’s Partner of the Year Awards to some of the best companies in the travel industry,” said Bill Sutherland, senior vice president, AAA Travel and Publishing. “AAA members benefit from these strong partnerships, and our collective commitment to providing them world-class service and amazing vacation experiences.”
2016 Partner of the Year Awards
Ocean Cruise Partner of the Year:
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Cruises
River Cruise Partner of the Year:
AmaWaterways
AmaWaterways
Escorted Tour Partner of the Year:
Trafalgar
Trafalgar
Independent Tour Partner of the Year:
Pleasant Holidays
Pleasant Holidays
Lodging Partner of the Year:
Best Western Hotels & Resorts
Best Western Hotels & Resorts
Transportation Partner of the Year:
Air by Pleasant
Air by Pleasant
Best in Marketing:
- Cruise: Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
- Tour: Insight Vacations
- Lodging: Best Western Hotels & Resorts
Best in Member Service:
- Cruise: AmaWaterways
- Tour: Insight Vacations
- Lodging: Best Western Hotels & Resorts
Best in Travel Agency Support:
- Cruise: Royal Caribbean International
- Tour: Insight Vacations
- Lodging: Best Western Hotels & Resorts
AAA also recognized three of the association’s top-performing travel agents with highly coveted Superlative Awards in four categories.
2016 Superlative Award Winners:
- Highest Association Sales Volume Overall: Henry Dennis, AAA Carolinas
- Highest Association Revenue Produced Overall: Dinar Pavri, AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah
- Highest Association Preferred Cruise Sales: Barbara Fuller, AAA Arizona
- Highest Association Preferred Tour Sales: Henry Dennis, AAA Carolinas
Henry Dennis, a three-time Superlative Award winner, has more than 25 years’ experience in the travel industry. He is a Certified Travel Counselor and Accredited Cruise Counselor, as well as an accredited Lifestyle Specialist in the areas of luxury travel and destination weddings and honeymoons. Dennis is based in Charlotte, N.C., where he has served AAA Carolinas’ members for more than 20 years.
Dinar Pavri has worked in the travel industry for more than 33 years, following a successful career in teaching and education. Pavri joined AAA Northern California, Nevada and Utah in Concord, Calif. in January 1998. She and her husband have traveled to six continents, with aspirations of making it to the seventh, Antarctica.
Barbara Fuller is a 35-year veteran of the travel industry. Her passion lies in adventure travel and cruising. She has worked at AAA Arizona for 20 years, and is based out of the Sun City West office. Fuller was born and raised outside of Stuttgart, Germany, but has called Arizona home for more than 20 years.
“We’re proud to recognize these three top travel agents for their steadfast commitment to our members,” Sutherland continued. “They are dedicated to providing members the best travel experiences and help to make AAA our members’ first choice for vacation planning.”
The Partner of the Year Award selection process included surveys and evaluations from the association’s club travel agency executives. Superlative Awards are based on agents’ leisure travel productivity and leisure group sales from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. Thousands of agents were eligible for the awards, and AAA clubs nominated 33 of their top achievers.
As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 56 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. Motorists can map a route, identify gas prices, find discounts, book a hotel and access AAA roadside assistance with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android.
