Aspire Awards returns to honour best in luxury


Erica Bush


Travel Weekly’s luxury sister title Aspire has announced the return of its annual awards ceremony this year. The Aspire Awards, which


celebrate the achievements of the high-end travel sector, will be held on December 13 at new boutique hotel The Londoner in Leicester Square. The evening will honour the


dedication and determination shown by outstanding individuals and companies in the past 18 months, recognising the best brands, most passionate trade teams and most innovative agents in the luxury sector. The entry process for this year’s


Aspire Awards has been streamlined to make it easier and quicker, with categories updated to reflect the challenges faced by the industry. Entries are now open and will


close on August 18. Aspire features writer Erica


Bush said: “The Aspire Awards honour the best agents, brands and representatives in the luxury travel


Cruise lines deal with setbacks as sailings restart


Cruise lines continued to tiptoe their way to restarting operations this week amid some setbacks. Royal Caribbean International


hailed its Caribbean restart as a “milestone more than 15 months in the making” when Adventure of the Seas set sail in the Bahamas. Sister line Celebrity Cruises also returned, sailing from Sint Maarten,


8 17 JUNE 2021 Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay


but two fully-vaccinated passengers sharing a cabin on Celebrity Millennium had to self-isolate after testing positive for Covid-19. Lines sailing in UK waters


reviewed their Scotland calls after Agents and firms that


have worked tirelessly to look after their clients deserve this recognition more than ever before


sector. As the industry continues to emerge from an extraordinarily challenging time, we believe the individuals and companies that have worked tirelessly to look after


their clients, often for little or no reward, deserve this recognition more than ever before. We look forward to welcoming Aspire Travel Club members to this event and celebrating together once again.” The Aspire Awards are being held


in partnership with headline sponsor Celebrity Cruises. Other sponsors supporting the event include Air Charter Service, One&Only and


Silversea Cruises. i To enter, check the category criteria or book tickets, visit aspireawards.co.uk


Tradewind Voyages appoints McGrory


Start-up tall-ship line Tradewind Voyages has appointed Alan McGrory (pictured) as chief executive. McGrory spent two years in consultancy within travel and hospitality and more than four years at Windstar Cruises where he was vice-president of operations. Former chief executive Stuart McQuaker left Tradewind last month.


Trailfinders’ Gooley receives knighthood


Trailfinders founder and chairman Mike Gooley received a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to business and charity. Former SAS officer Gooley founded Trailfinders in 1970 with four staff; it now employs more than 1,000 and has 39 stores. Gooley founded the Mike Gooley Trailfinders Charity in 1995.


Constable to join Titan Travel as chief executive


local authorities ruled “unknowns around the Delta variant” meant ships could not dock in the country. MSC Virtuosa had to skip its


Greenock call last week; Saga changed itineraries of two Spirit of Discovery cruises; and Celebrity Silhouette’s Greenock call next month was cancelled. Meanwhile, the UK government’s


delay to the easing of domestic reopening until July 19 means ex-UK cruises will be limited to the smaller of 1,000 passengers or 50%


of capacity until at least that date. i News You Can Use, page 18 i Destinations, page 28


Ex-STA Travel boss John Constable will join Titan Travel as chief executive on June 21. He has previously held roles at Tui UK and Austravel, and was most recently executive group general manager at Helloworld, a travel distributor in Australia and New Zealand.


BA and Ryanair face CMA refunds probe


The competition watchdog is investigating whether British Airways and Ryanair broke consumer law by failing to offer refunds for flights customers could not legally take. The CMA says BA offered vouchers or rebooking, and Ryanair the option to rebook, but neither offered cash refunds.


travelweekly.co.uk


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