Sandra Corkin, Managing Director of Oasis Travel, started off 2016 with a trip to London to collect an early accolade from luxury cruise line, Celebrity Cruises.

At a special reception staged at the Haymarket Hotel, London, Celebrity paid tribute to more than forty trade partners from across the UK and Ireland, presenting eleven Travel Agent Appreciation Awards to those who have demonstrated exceptional performance over the last twelve months.  Oasis Travel earned recognition as Top Agency, Northern Ireland.

The prestigious awards were also attended by Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO, Celebrity Cruises and Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior vice president, sales, trade support and services, Celebrity Cruises.  

Sarah Harraghy, commercial sales director, UK & Ireland, Celebrity Cruises said: “I want to congratulate each of the winners on their achievements. Now in its second year, the Travel Agent Appreciation Awards are our way of saying thank you to our hardworking trade partners and to recognise their support and commitment to our business. We hope each of the winners will display their accolade with pride and that it inspires all of our partners to continue to drive for excellence in 2016.”

Delighted to receive the recognition, Sandra Corkin, thanked Celebrity Cruises on behalf of her staff and also the hundreds of Oasis Travel customers who travelled with Celebrity Cruises in 2015.

She said, “We were thrilled to be singled out by Celebrity Cruises as their strongest performing travel agency in Northern Ireland in 2015 and, of course, that is encouraging us to do even better in the coming year!"

“Celebrity Cruises prides itself on providing vacations afloat which are ‘luxurious, modern and totally unique’ – and, in our experience, that fabulous blend is perfectly in tune with the demands of today’s travellers.  When it comes to cruising, holidaymakers really appreciate the aura of luxury which is synonymous with Celebrity Cruises and we are confident that the amazing worldwide cruise programme which the company is rolling out for 2016 will be hugely popular.  A life on the ocean wave has rarely seemed more laid back or appealing …”

The Travel Agent Appreciation Awards follow the significant enhancement and investment into Celebrity Cruises' agent partnerships such as the recently announced Celebrity Commitment pledge in which the luxury cruise line has identified three key areas of focus for the trade – exceptional holidays, exceptional rewards and exceptional support. As part of this, Celebrity Cruises has revamped its Celebrity Rewards loyalty programme making it easier than ever for agents to accrue points which can be exchanged for gifts such as luxury perfume and handbags, Apple products and even cruise holidays.