The finalists for AFTA’s 2022 National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) have been announced, with representatives from TravelManagers taking out three of the five coveted positions in the Most Outstanding Mobile/Home-Based Travel Advisor category.
Personal travel managers (PTMs) Carli Hester, Tanya Patterson and Rose Febo are TravelManagers’ representatives for Mount Duneed and Clyde North in Victoria, and Hawthorne in Queensland respectively: between them they have more than 56 years’ experience in the travel industry and 24 years with TravelManagers.
As part of the selection process, the finalists were required to prepare submissions to the judging panel: for Hester this was an opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities presented by the past couple of years.
“I have grown so much over this time, both personally and professionally,” she explains. “I am incredibly proud of where we are now as an industry and of myself as a small business owner in partnership with TravelManagers Australia.”
Hester’s colleague, Rose Febo, says she spent the pandemic years working proactively to make improvements to her business.
“After two challenging years of working really hard, I was extremely excited to nominate myself for this year’s awards, with amazing support from industry partners and colleagues. The submission required a lot of work, but also allowed me to reflect on all that I have achieved.”
Patterson’s nomination came from an unknown supplier, after which she was required to submit a 1500-word essay about herself and her business in order to progress towards being chosen as a finalist.
“I have spent the last two years upskilling through a variety of Specialist Programs and Amadeus courses: I am more confident now I have more learning behind me. I’ve become more self-sufficient, but I also have great support from our National Partnership Office and my colleagues.”
In addition, TravelManagers has again been named a finalist in the Most Outstanding Mobile Advisor Network category. Executive General Manager, Michael Gazal, credits TravelManagers’ entire network of PTMs with contributing to this accomplishment.
“Tanya, Rose and Carli exemplify the professionalism and dedication of our PTMs, all of whom have contributed to this achievement. They each bring their unique blend of personal touches to ensure their clients have memorable and seamless travel experiences.”
“The fact that TravelManagers has three PTMs as individual finalists is an incredibly proud achievement for TravelManagers, and we wish each of these ladies the best of luck on Saturday 15 October.”
Regardless of the outcome when the winner is announced, all three PTMs share an optimistic vision for the future of the travel industry.
“Many more clients are now convinced they need a PTM to help them navigate the new travel landscape: they see the value in having me by their side and they are also telling their friends, so referrals are being shared more than ever before,” Febo predicts. “I believe that throughout 2023 and 2024, pent-up demand and increased capacity will result in huge growth for the travel industry, and I’m excited by the opportunities this will present.”
For more information or to speak to someone confidentially about TravelManagers please contact Graciela Craig on 1800 019 599.
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