SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES — Attending Sandals’ STAR Awards doesn’t have to be a pipe dream for Canadian travel advisors, says Maureen Barnes-Smith.
Speaking to Travelweek at the new Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where the Sandals STAR Awards is taking place this week from May 13-18, Barnes-Smith, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Canada, Unique Vacations Canada (affiliate of the worldwide representatives of Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts), says she doesn’t want any Canadian travel advisor to miss out on an opportunity to attend next year’s event.
“I’m sure you’re watching media posts from some of your colleagues who are here for the STAR Awards and I’m sure you wish you were here. But I’m telling you one thing: you can be here next year. Just sell more Sandals, it’s as easy as that. You earn your way here through your bookings. So if you’re not here this year, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be here next year,” says Barnes-Smith.
To help advisors earn their spot at next year’s STAR Awards, Sandals has launched a limited-time offer exclusively for Canadian travellers. With the offer, clients can save $1,250 off their next booking with Air Canada Vacations to Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The offer is valid on bookings of five nights or more, and is applicable to air-inclusive packages only. The offer must be booked by June 9, 2024, for travel between now through April 30, 2025.
Not only can their clients save money on their next vacation, says Barnes-Smith, but Canadian travel advisors can sell and register their bookings on the Sandals T.A. Portal, making them one booking closer to attending next year’s STAR Awards.
Nearly 500 top-producing travel advisors from Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Latin America have congregated at Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines this week to attend Sandals STAR Awards, now in its 19th year. In addition to informative sessions that focus on hot topics like social media and destination weddings, the event also includes the highly-anticipated STAR Awards Ceremony on May 16 as well as optional tours with Island Routes that highlight Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ top attractions and offerings.
Air Canada operates one flight per week from Toronto to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines now through Oct. 20, 2024. This increases to 3x/week from Oct. 28 to Dec. 16, 2024, and increases again to 4x/week from Dec. 17, 2024 to April 21, 2025.
For more information about the Sandals Specialist Program, go to https://taportal.sandals.com/landing/.
