Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia has been honoured at Australia’s National Travel Industry Awards (NTIAs), receiving the award for ‘Most Outstanding Travel Industry Training Institution’.
Announced at a gala dinner in Sydney on Saturday night, the award recognises CLIA’s extensive professional development programs and the role they have played in fostering an expanding community of cruise-specialist travel agents. It is the second time CLIA has been awarded in this category at the NTIAs, having won previously in 2022.
CLIA Managing Director in Australasia Joel Katz said demand for travel agent training was at an all-time high.
“The most successful travel agents are also the most highly trained, and so CLIA’s focus over recent years has been on developing skills and knowledge among our members so they can benefit from cruising’s global strength,” Mr Katz said. “Our online education programs and in-person training events have attracted record levels of engagement from our agent members, and we feel honoured that this has been recognised at the NTIAs.”
CLIA Head of International Training & Development Peter Kollar said the award helped acknowledge the dedication shown by Australasian travel agents.
“The commitment our travel agent members have shown over recent years has been phenomenal and the feedback we receive shows they feel more confident selling cruise,” Mr Kollar said. “I think this award is an acknowledgement that CLIA travel agents are the best-trained and most knowledgeable cruise specialists in our region, and our members can take pride in having made our professional development programs a success.”
