Pam Fenton collects the award for Best Travel Agency on behalf of Total Travel from Trinidad and Tobago's High Commissioner Dennis Francis. The occasion was BWIA's Travel Agent Awards held at the Hilton Kingston Hotel last Thursday. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer AFTER 60 years, the planes of BWIA West Indies Airways are still flying high in the Caribbean.
BWee, as the company is also known, had its annual Travel Agents Awards last Thursday night at the Hilton Kingston Hotel. BWee wanted to highlight the efforts of the persons responsible for bringing foreigners and Caribbean people alike to the far corners of this majestic Diaspora. Representatives from the different islands serviced by BWIA came to see who would be voted the top travel agency.
The awards coincided with BWIA's 12 Caribbean Connection Trade Show so outside of the presentation area, booths from various small islands, including St. Maarten and Antigua and Barbuda were set up, showing off the islands' best assets. The trade show was open to the public at the Sovereign Centre on the weekend. During the awards ceremony, there were video presentations showing the different islands and the natural beauty they had to offer.
BWee awarded their top 10 travel agencies for their great work. Marco Polo Travel, Travel Planner, Pauline's Travel, Discovery Travel and BJ's Travel took the awards for the Reservations category. The Sales Award went to Great Vacations and the Area Managers Award was snagged by Compact Travel. The top three travel agencies were Chin Yee's, Lane Plaza which got the Vice-President's Award; Trafalgar Travel, which copped the General Manager's Award; and the creme de la creme, drum roll, please, Total Travel, this year's top travel agency. Unfortunately, no members of the company were there to receive it. There were also special awards to recognise individuals and small hotels which continue to spread the word of the Caribbean.
So while the winners basked in the light reflecting from their awards, the 50/50 Band smoothed the rest of the evening away.
- Daviot Kelly
