Ensemble honours top producers and members at annual gala

SAN DIEGO – Ensemble Travel Group honoured its top partners and members in Canada earlier this month at its annual Circle of Excellence Gala during the 2016 Ensemble Travel Group International Conference at the Manchester Grand Hyatt.

Lindsay Pearlman, co-president of Ensemble Travel Group, was on hand to congratulate group members on their “strong performance and support” of the company’s preferred partners, which he says is the driving force behind Ensemble’s success.

The organization’s top producers in Canada based on 2015 sales of Ensemble preferred partners are: Adventure House Travel, Oakville, ON; Cruise Connections Canada Ltd., Vancouver, BC; CruisePlus Management Ltd, Lantzville, BC; Jubilee Tours & Travel Ltd., Burnaby, BC; Escapes.ca/Skyland Travel Inc., Vancouver, BC; TierOne Travel Inc., Calgary, AB; TravelOnly, Brantford, ON; Travel Masters, Vancouver, BC; Tully Luxury Travel, Mississauga, ON; and Ucruising of Unionville, Markham, ON.

In addition, the ‘Highest Growth Award’ went to 5 10 Travel of Toronto for achieving the highest year-over-year growth based on 2015 preferred partner sales compared to 2014.

As for partners, the following were honoured based on member votes and input:

2016 Cruise Partner of the Year – Regent Seven Seas Cruises
2016 Outstanding Agency Support (cruise) – Holland America Line
2016 Outstanding Marketing Partner (cruise) – Oceania Cruises
2016 Tour Partner of the Year – Globus family of brands
2016 Outstanding Agency Support (tour) – WestJet Vacations
2016 Outstanding Marketing Partner (tour) – Transat
2016 Air Partner of the Year – WestJet Airlines
2016 Air Outstanding Agency Support – Air New Zealand
2016 Business Services/Insurance Partner of the Year – Manulife

In addition, nine North American awards, reflecting the input of both Canadian and U.S. members, were announced at the Circle of Excellence gala:

2016 Transportation Partner of the Year – AvisBudget Group
2016 Transportation Outstanding Agency Support – Vitesse Worldwide
2016 Ensemble On Location Partner of the Year – TFL Tours (Italy)
2016 Hotel Partner of the Year – Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
2016 Hotel Marketing Partner of the Year – Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
2016 Cruise Specialty Partner of the Year – Paul Gauguin Cruises
2016 Land Specialty Partner of the Year – Rocky Mountaineer
2016 River Cruise Partner of the Year – Avalon Waterways
2016 Experiential/Adventure Partner of the Year – Kensington Tours

Looking ahead to next year, Ensemble announced that its 2017 international conference, set for Oct. 16-20, will be held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, and that its closing conference part will be held at AT&T Stadium, home to the Dallas Cowboys.