Sept. 17, 2024 – Atlanta – WorldVia Travel Group, a collection of leading travel companies in the United States, has proudly announced the winners of its 2024 Questy Awards during a celebratory gala, which was held September 12 during the organization’s WORLD24 conference at Harrah’s Resort Southern California.
The Questy Awards program, now in its fourth year, honors travel agencies, advisors and partners who have demonstrated outstanding innovation, leadership and dedication throughout 2024. The awards set new benchmarks of excellence, recognizing those who have driven growth, elevated service standards, and introduced forward-thinking strategies in the dynamic travel industry.
“The announcement of the annual Questy Award winners is always one of the most exciting moments at WORLD24,” said Joshua Harrell, chief revenue officer of WorldVia. “We’re excited to celebrate the 2024 winners and recognize their incredible talent, growth and hard work. These outstanding travel professionals continue to impress us with their innovative approaches and commitment to excellence, setting new standards for the industry and inspiring everyone around them.”
WorldVia Travel Network, the company’s host agency for travel agency owners and advisors, invited its members to nominate themselves or their peers for the awards. A committee of seasoned industry leaders partnered with WorldVia to evaluate the submissions and select the winners across more than a dozen categories.
The coveted “Monarch Agency of the Year” awardwhich honors travel agencies for their excellence in sales growth, network support and effective use of WorldVia Travel Network products and programs, was awarded to Amanda Kelly of Live Well Travel in the Multi-Advisor Agency category, while Stefanie Boyle of Go Wandering Travel and Tonia Ridler of Travel by Tonia both received the honor in the Single-Advisor Agency category.
Eighteen single-advisor agencies received the “Monarch Agency of Excellence Award,” while fifteen other agencies were recognized in the Multi-Advisor category. Of these winners, Lisa Phillips with Simply Travel also took home the distinguished “Dynasty Award” for her agency’s enduring excellence and support of WorldVia.
The “Golden Crown Awards” bestow recognition to the agencies with the top sales performance in three categories: “Golden Crown (Multi-Advisor Agency),” which was awarded to Bobby Laurie with JetSetGO; “Golden Crown (Single-Advisor Agency),” given to Sherry Riggs with Tripology Travel; and “Golden Crown (Associate Advisor),” presented to Juan Albarran Marquez with JetSetGO.
Twenty-nine other advisors who exhibited outstanding sales performance throughout 2024 took home “Crown Sales Achievement Awards.” The “Sales Innovation Award” went to Rebecca Landry with Quality Travel for her creativity, ingenuity and effectiveness in enhancing sales strategies and outcomes.
The “Spark of Excellence Award,” a new category introduced in 2024 to honor outstanding expertise in theme park travel planning, was presented for the first time to Alan Granza of ExtravaGranza Travel. Granza, who previously won the “Monarch Agency of the Year” award at the 2023 Questy Awards Gala, continues to be recognized for his exceptional contributions to the network.
Another new addition to the 2024 Questy Awards lineup was the “Trailblazer Awards,” created to recognize exceptional sales performance across key travel sectors, such as Cruises, Sun and Fun, Theme Parks, Touring and FIT (Fully Independent Travel), Corporate and Air Travel, and more.
This year’s Trailblazer Award winners include Bobby Laurie with JetSetGO (Cruise), Amanda Kelly of Live Well Travel and Sherry Riggs with Tripology Travel (Touring + FIT), Val Schafer of Leisure World Travel (Beach Breaks), Molly Williams with The Optimists Travel (Corporate + Air), Amanda Kelly of Live Well Travel (High Flyer), Jim King with Zephyr Travel Curators (Group Leader) and Alan Granza of ExtravaGranza Travel (Theme Parks).
The 2024 Questy Awards ceremony also celebrated individuals who have made meaningful contributions to their communities with two distinct honors. The “Local Community Leadership Award,” now in its second year as a Questy Awards category, was awarded to Stephanie Ellis of Travel Girl Group for her leadership and involvement in her community of Lafayette, Indiana. This award recognizes entrepreneurs who excel in volunteer service, organize impactful local events, and demonstrate exceptional leadership and advocacy.
The “WorldVia Community Stewardship Award,” another notable accolade at the 2024 Questy Awards Gala, was presented to Christina Rockey with Vacation Architect, honoring her for exemplifying the connectedness and cooperative spirit of the WorldVia Travel Network.
Five travel advisors were presented with the “Ascension Growth Award” for remarkable sales growth. Award winners in this category included James King with Zephyr Travel Curators, Patty Gustin of Horizons Travel & Cruises, Karen Schroedermeier with All About Travel, and the aforementioned Bobby Laurie and Juan Albarran Marquez.
The 2024 “Imperial Partnership Awards” celebrated the distinguished contributions of key partners across nine categories: Hotel & Resort Brand, Packaged and Escorted Tour Operators, Theme Parks, Insurance, Luxury, River and Ocean Cruises as well as Partner of the Year. These awards honored sponsors whose outstanding support and collaboration have been instrumental to WorldVia’s ongoing success. Among the recipients were several renowned names in the travel industry, including Hyatt Inclusive Collection, Royal Caribbean, AmaWaterways, ALG Vacations, Collette, Universal, Allianz, Cunard and Sandals.
Other notable awards presented at the 2024 Questy Awards Gala included the “Education Event Awards,” which were given in two categories: the “Accelerator Valedictorian” award, presented to Kerri Doughty with Postcard Adventures for achieving the highest sales performance six months after completing the Accelerator course, and the “Groups Valedictorian” award, recognizing Jeff Bartlett of Travel Marks Intl. for outstanding sales performance one year after graduating from the Growing with Groups Immersion program.
The “Luxe Luminary Star Awards” recognized sales achievements with luxury supplier partners across two categories. The “Rising Star Award” was presented to aforesaid Lisa Phillips for her top-tier sales performance in the luxury travel market, while the “Sirius Star Award” honored Christopher Stokoe of Connaught Luxury Cruises and Tours for his remarkable sales growth with luxury partners.
This year’s “Marketing Awards” celebrated remarkable leadership in four pivotal areas of travel marketing: “Best Website,” awarded to Cheyenne Schriefer with All Travel Matters; “Best Newsletter,” given to Rebecca Anderson of Wanderland Escapes; “Best Social Media Presence,” presented to Amber Robinson with Picture Perfect Adventures; and “Best Profile Site,” bestowed to Buffy Aronstein of Sunlit Travel. www.worldvia.com and www.worldviatravelnetwork.com/questy-awards
About WorldVia Travel Group
WorldVia Travel Group is with a spirited and longstanding commitment to delivering unmatched services, assets and support to its members, clients and partners – including independent travel agent and advisor entrepreneurs, corporate partners and humanitarian organizations – through the company’s two primary divisions: WorldVia, which operates the company’s host agency, and the consumer travel website, worldvia.com. WorldVia’s mission involves simplifying and streamlining travel agency owners’ and travel advisors’ business management practices as well as empowering them to build and cultivate the travel businesses of their dreams. The company has been honored as the Host Agency of the Year three times by Travel Leaders Network and is featured on Travel Weekly’s 2024 “Power List” of the world’s biggest travel sellers. Learn more: www.worldviatravelnetwork.com, www.worldvia.pro and www.worldvia.com.