Australasia’s crème de la crème of cruise specialists were celebrated at the Cruise Industry Awards at Luna Park in Sydney.
Held by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the evening of glamour saw close to 500 people gathered to recognise and commemorate the cruising revivification in the region.
Postponed for three years due to the pandemic, the evening saw 18 awards for travel agencies and individuals across Australia and New Zealand.
Publisher and Group Editor of Signature Media, Cathy Wagstaff, says the awards are a testament to the prosperous cruise industry.
“It’s a wonderful occasion, recognising the resilience and tenacity of these industry leaders and newcomers who are making a mark. Their passion for cruising ensures not only the continued growth of cruising in the Australasian market but the best experiences for their clients.”
View the list of honourable winners and finalists below.
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
Bio: Marise Barrett has been a Travel Consultant at hellworld 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
Bio: Megan Catterall has been a Business Travel Manager with itravel for almost five years and has 38 years 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; 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
Bio: 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
Bio: Sheron Konig has more than 42 years 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 Jordan 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
Bio: 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
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
Bio: 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
Bio: 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
Bio: 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.
Winner: Hunter Travel Group/ MTA – Mobile Travel Agents
Bio: 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
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
Bio: In its 23rd year of operation, Clean Cruising is a family business built by Tosh Russel and 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
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
Bio: 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”; Brian Johnston, Traveller, “River Cruising Guide: Best Destinations, Cruise Companies and Planning Tips to go with the flow.”
Sponsored by: Azamara
Cruise Champion, Australia
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 sales focus and into the wider interests of the Australasian cruise community.
Winner: Robyn Sinfield, Home Travel Company
Bio: 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
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.
Winner: Steve Odell
Bio: 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.
Cruise Line Champion, Australia
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
Bio: 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
Cruise Champion, Media
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
Bio: Piper is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Cruise Weekly, Travel Daily, Travel Bulletin Australia and other titles.
