PARAMUS, New Jersey, Oct. 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For the fourth consecutive year, Direct Travel’s Leisure Division has been awarding its top performing travel advisors with an exclusive trip known as the GEM (Going the Extra Mile) Awards. Each year the leisure management team, led by Executive Vice President Gerard Bellino, invites advisors across the organization’s 5 regions within North America to join them along with strategic supplier partners on a week-long journey.
Previous GEM trips have included a Danube river cruise on AMA Waterways, an all-inclusive stay at Grand Velas Riviera Maya, and a Rhine river cruise with Uniworld. This year’s 26 winners will head to South America with Azamara cruises for a 10-day experience from Rio de Janeiro to Buenos Aires. The trip includes both a town hall meeting onboard as well as private shore experiences custom designed for the team.
To qualify for the trip, Direct Travel advisors must meet sales criteria established by Direct Travel that focuses on strategic supplier partnerships. The qualification period is one year’s worth of sales, and winners are selected from each North American region they reside in.
“The goal of the GEM awards is not only to award our top selling advisors with an exclusive trip, but also to provide them time to network with our top supporting supplier partners, thus deepening their relationships and ultimately helping their clients,” says Gerard Bellino, Executive Vice President.
As a member of luxury travel network Virtuoso®, Direct Travel invites leaders from the Virtuoso team to join the GEM trip to gain firsthand access to top network advisors.
“It’s immensely valuable for Virtuoso to have this chance to deepen our human connections with Direct Travel’s top advisors, as those bonds are the proud hallmark of our network. Having this one-on-one time to discuss how Virtuoso offerings and innovations can help them be even more successful is so treasured, and our conversations take place while experiencing product from a preferred cruise partner and visiting in-demand destinations that these advisors sell,” says Joelle Goldman, Virtuoso’s Director of Global Partnerships for US and Canada.
As Direct Travel continues to grow, supplier partners and travel advisors are gaining enthusiasm for this unique program, and each year brings a new opportunity for advisors to win.
About Direct Travel
Direct Travel, Inc. is a leading provider of corporate travel management services. The company has been providing travel management services for over 40 years, working with clients to develop highly customized travel programs. By leveraging both the expertise of its people and innovative solutions, Direct Travel enables clients to derive the greatest value from their travel program in terms of superior service, progressive technologies and significant cost savings. Direct Travel has offices in over 90 locations across North America and the UK and is currently ranked 9th on Travel Weekly’s Power List. Direct Travel is also a prominent member of Virtuoso, the world’s most prestigious luxury travel network. For more information about Direct Travel, please visit www.dt.com.
About Virtuoso
Virtuoso® is the leading international travel agency network specializing in luxury and experiential travel. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 1,000 travel agency partners with 20,000 elite travel advisors in 50 countries throughout North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Drawing upon its preferred relationships with over 1,800 of the world’s best hotels and resorts, cruise lines, airlines, tour companies and premier destinations, the network provides its upscale clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. More than (U.S.) $26.4 billion in annual travel sales makes Virtuoso a powerhouse in the luxury travel industry. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com.