ASPIRE AWARDS 2019 1 2


Winners are simply outstanding


Three greats of the luxury travel sector received top honours at the inaugural Aspire Awards, becoming the first recipients of the Outstanding Contribution to


Luxury accolade. Silversea Cruises chairman


Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, who is also co-chairman of Abercrombie & Kent, was honoured alongside the directors of Radlett agency Beaver Travel, Andrew Devine and Gary Green.


Aspire editor Hollie-Rae Brader


hailed Lefebvre d’Ovidio as a “stalwart of luxury cruising” and celebrated his career and contributions to both cruise and land holidays. Lefebvre d’Ovidio took over


Silversea Cruises in 2002 – eight years after his father founded the company – and has since transformed the line into a major luxury brand with nine ships. The fleet is due to gain another vessel,


“Gary and I have been on a long journey and it’s a very proud moment for us both to be here tonight”


Silver Moon, next year and has four more in the pipeline.


In July 2018, Lefebvre d’Ovidio sold


a two-thirds share in Silversea to Royal Caribbean, while retaining a 33.3% stake. This year, he acquired an 85% share


in Abercrombie & Kent, becoming co- chairman alongside founder Geoffrey Kent. “It’s a nice surprise to get this sort of


recognition,” Lefebvre d’Ovidio said. “The event is very well organised, it’s


a beautiful setting and there’s a lot of interesting people from the industry.” Beaver Travel’s Devine and Green were


also rewarded for their hard work and dedication to the luxury sector. The duo first met in their youth when


they began working for the agency, which they went on to acquire in 1998. Under their helm, the agency became


a luxury travel specialist, moving away from selling low-margin, traditional package holidays to concentrate instead on attracting cash-rich and time-poor clients in need of a bespoke travel service. Their high street store in Radlett,


Hertfordshire – which will soon celebrate its 60th anniversary – was among the first to offer a dedicated concierge service and has an impressive 85% client retention rate. “Gary and I have been on a long


journey and it’s a very proud moment for us both to be here tonight,” Devine said. “It wouldn’t have been possible without all the suppliers that have supported us along the way and all of our great staff, so thank you very much.”


12 ASPIRE SEPTEMBER 2019


aspiretravelclub.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136