Delray Beach, FL, Jan. 18, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mr. Stanley Tollman, Founder and Chairman of The Travel Corporation, has been honored with the first ever global Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Globe Awards from Travel Weekly, the UK's leading travel industry publication.
The prestigious award was the culmination of a glittering night at London's Grosvenor House Hotel that saw The Travel Corporation recognized in a further two categories for its brands Trafalgar and The One Stop Touring Shop as "Best Escorted Tours Operator" and "Best Trade Sales Team" respectively.
The majority of the Globe Awards are voted for by travel agents up and down the UK, but the global Lifetime Achievement Award, the first of its kind, has been established and bestowed by Travel Weekly in recognition of a significant, sustained and far-reaching contribution to the travel industry.
Born in South Africa in 1930, Tollman has built a multi-billion dollar travel and leisure business which operates in more than 60 countries and regions including the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australasia and South America.
His first taste of the industry came from his parents' hotel and restaurant near Cape Town, and from the age of 19 he set about building his own portfolio of hospitality businesses.
Despite some challenges, including a severe economic downturn in South Africa in the 1970s which damaged his investments and saw him relocate his family to the UK, Tollman reinvested and rebuilt his family's business. Over the following decades, he made a series of successful investments around the world which turned this company into what is now The Travel Corporation.
With brands including Trafalgar, African Travel, Inc., Brendan Vacations, Insight Vacations, Contiki Holidays, Red Carnation Hotels and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, and over 35 offices, across six continents, The Travel Corporation has grown under his leadership to be a truly diverse and global travel company.
Now in his eighth decade, he still takes a very active interest in a business which employs 4,500 people worldwide. Under his guidance, The Travel Corporation has demonstrated its commitment to sustainable tourism with its not-for-profit Treadright Foundation, which has to date donated more than 1.5 million dollars to sustainable tourism projects worldwide and encourages industry best practice by annually supporting the WTTC's Tourism for Tomorrow awards.
On receiving his award, Tollman said:
"I am honored to receive this award from my good friend Clive Jacobs and from the esteemed Travel Weekly team. I have dedicated my entire life to the travel and tourism industry; an industry in which I and much of my family are lucky and proud to work, an industry which creates remarkable experiences, lifelong memories and broader minds. I am as passionate as ever about the contribution that travel makes to the world and its communities in terms of economic growth, employment and social integration and I remain committed to helping our industry keep as strong and vibrant as possible.
"I'd like to thank my wife and my family, who are at my side and involved in my business for their dedication, passion, creativity and vision, and similarly all those within the wider Travel Corporation family, without whose contribution each and every day I wouldn't be standing here."
Clive Jacobs, owner of the Travel Weekly group, commented, "Stanley Tollman is a true visionary and entrepreneur, a man whose influence has truly spread across continents. He is also a genuine philanthropist and a passionate believer in the power of the travel industry to deliver change and benefits in the communities in which it works. He is a thoroughly deserving recipient of Travel Weekly's first Lifetime Achievement Globe Award."
About TreadRight
TreadRight is a not-for-profit foundation established by The Travel Corporation to encourage sustainable tourism within our own family of brands, and in the places we visit. To date, TreadRight has donated more than USD 1.5 million to sustainable tourism projects worldwide, and encourages industry best practice by annually supporting the World Travel & Tourism Council's Tourism for Tomorrow awards. To learn more about the many projects TreadRight is funding please visit us at treadright.org.