CHICAGO — Direct Travel is dishing out high praise for its 2024 GEM award winners from North America.

Standing for ‘Going the Mile,’ the GEM awards are given each year to leisure advisors who go above and beyond their roles to improve the organization in pursuit of Direct Travel’s goals. First introduced in 2016, the GEM incentive program celebrates the company’s top performers from various geographic regions in multiple categories, including: Highest Strategic Supplier Sales; Highest % Strategic Supplier Sales; Highest Single Strategic Sale; Highest Strategic Insurance Sale; Highest Strategic Air Sale; Highest Average Yield; and the Spirit of Lynda Sinclair Award. The Lynda Sinclair Shining Star Award is given each year to an individual in leisure travel who demonstrates perseverance while maintaining positivity and passion for travel.

“We are delighted to recognize the 150 GEM Awardees from across North America this year,” said Toronto-based Stephen Smith, Direct Travel’s Senior Vice President of Leisure Strategy & Marketing. “This is a testament to how exceptional they are at their craft.”

Forty attendees from Canada and the United States, including leaders and advisors from Direct Travel as well as partners, recently gathered at the Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo. To show its appreciation for these top-producing advisors, Direct Travel organized a program that was both fun and educational, with highlights that included coffee making and tasting, cold plunges, water sports, zip lining, spa opportunities, a Hacienda El Viejo Wetlands boat tour, and rum and cultural experiences sponsored by A&K.

Direct Travel also hosted over 300 travel advisors and suppliers in Chicago last month for its annual ‘Direct Access’ conference. The two-day event allows agency managers, advisors, ICs and supplier partners from across North America to network and learn tips on how to enhance their businesses into 2025.