Virtuoso revealed its top travel advisors and suppliers/partners across six Communities of the luxury travel network, on day one of the 2023 Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas today . Among the winners was Josephine DeMuth of Bayview Travel in Brighton, Victoria, who was one of five finalists from around the globe in the running for Top Community Advisor in the Wellness vertical.
Virtuoso’s Communities include Adventure, Cruise, Culinary, Ultraluxe, Sustainability, Family & Celebration and Wellness. The Community Awards recognise a travel advisor and a partner that has inspired that type of travel, based on both their sales figures (agency-reported data) and engagement within the community. The partner nominees were voted by advisors.
Virtuoso also unveiled for the first time new branding for the Communities to Virtuosos assembled at the Aria Resort & Casino. That branding and its new visuals (pictured below) will start to be rolled out globally.
DeMuth has been a travel advisor for over 30 years. Before joining Bayview Travel 10 years ago she worked as an independent travel broker in New Zealand for 23 years.
While there are seven Communities, only advisors and partners from six of the fields have been recognised in the past, and including 2023. Marisa Pilato, Virtuoso’s Director, Access & Network Producers revealed that will change from 2024 when Sustainability will also convert to a sales-focused community.
“What that means is that will now include marketing, training and globetrotting that really stimulates sales, versus the educational focus,” Pilato said, adding, “We’re very excited about the next phase.”
New Community
Pilato also revealed that a new Community will be introduced in 2024, offering Virtuoso delegates a taste of what that will encompass.
“That program will connect advisors with new-to-network partners who have joined Virtuoso since January 2022,” she said, adding the intention is to provide those partners with a concentrated program.
Virtuoso Community 2023 nominees and winners
Not only was Bayview Travel’s DeMuth the only Australian advisor in the Wellness community, she was also the only Australian finalist across all the other awarded Communities in 2023.
There were a small number of Virtuoso travel advisors that were nominated across multiple Communities, while Michael Kempinski of Northstar Cruises received three separate community nominations.
The nominees and Award winners (in bold) in the Top Community Advisor and Best Community Partner categories for 2023 were as follows:
Adventure
Top Adventure Advisor Community
Becky Craft, Travel Crafter, an Independent Affiliate of Travel Experts
Cristina Buaas, CSB Travel
Dana Welch, The Travel Society LLC
Gina Morovati, Northstar Cruises
Michael Kempinski, Northstar Cruises
Best Adventure Community Partner
Abercrombie & Kent
Aqua Expeditions
Big Five Tours & Expeditions
Swan Destinations
Lindblad Expeditions
Cruise
Top Cruise Advisor Community
Gina Morovati, Northstar Cruises
Jonathan Phillips, Cassis Travel Services
Michael Kempinski, Northstar Cruises
Sue Bradley, The Pampered Cruiser, and Independent Affiliate of Smartflyer
David Porter, Roaming Boomers Travel Services, an Independent Affiliate of Cadence
Best Cruise Community Partner
AmaWaterways
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Seabourn
Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Silversea Cruises
Culinary
Top Culinary Community Advisor
David Porter, Roaming Boomers Travel Services, an Independent Affiliate of Cadence
Jennifer Royster Travel, an Independent Affiliate of Brownell Travel
Laney Sachs, Ortensia Blu Travel Adventures, and Independent Affiliate of Gifted Travel Network
Sandy Grodsky, Brownell Travel
John Skelton, John Skelton Travels, an Independent Affiliate of Departure Lounge
Best Culinary Community Partner
Conrad Punta de Mita
Oceania Cruises
Il Facloniere
We Travel France
IC Bellagio
Family & Celebration
Top Family & Celebration Community Advisor
Cindy Mahorn, Susan’s Travel Services
Jamie Paul, Elite Travel Designs, an Independent Affiliate of Gifted Travel Network
Jean Paugh, Travel Unlimited, an Independent Affiliate of Uniglobe Travel Center
Sabrina Pilant, Travel Experts
Cristina Buaas, CSB Travel
Best Family & Celebration Community Partner
Family Twist
One&Only Palmilla
Royal Caribbean International
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Great Lakes
Micato Safaris
Ultraluxe
Top Ultraluxe Community Advisor
Becky Craft, Travel Crafter, an Independent Affiliate of Travel Experts
Laura Wallace, Herff Travel
Michael Kempinski, Northstar Cruises
Peggy Purtell, Travel Experts
Sue Kasmar, Sue Kasmar Travel
Best Ultraluxe Community Partner
Dream Escapes
Micato Safaris
Remote Lands
White Desert
Cheval Blanc Paris
Wellness
Top Wellness Community Advisor
John Smith, an Independent Affiliate of Coastline Travel Advisors and TravelWizard.com
Kristie England, Universal Travel
Leslie Bulluck, Direct Travel Luxe
Patti Olshen, Unique Travel of Palm Beach
Josephine DeMuth, Bayview Travel
Best Wellness Community Partner
Galeries Lafayette Paris
Lefay Resort & Spa Lago di Garda
Six Senses Hotels Resorts & Spas
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
JOALI Being
David Kolner, Executive Vice President, Virtuoso also reminded Virtuosos that 2024 registrations from partners and advisors for each Community will close on 15 September and in November, respectively.
LATTE is reporting on site from Virtuoso Travel Week, as a guest of Virtuoso.
Lead image: Josephine DeMuth, Bayview Travel
