Winners of the 10th annual Air Mauritius Travel Oscar Awards announced

Winners of the 10th annual Air Mauritius Travel Oscar Awards announced
Winners of the 10th annual Air Mauritius Travel Oscar Awards announced

Last night marked the 10th annual Air Mauritius Travel Oscar Awards which were held at the Houghton Hotel in Johannesburg.  The event honoured the top travel partners of Air Mauritius for 2019, and saw a spectacular performance by Mi Casa, as well as addresses by Danny K and Kabelo, Jonathan Boynton-Lee (Air Mauritius brand ambassador), Grant Lottering (Air Mauritius sports ambassador), and Julia Sotirianakos (CEO of the Reach For A Dream Foundation).

Carla da Silva, Air Mauritius Regional Manager, Africa and Latin America, presided over the formal proceedings of the awards, with Gerry Skerritt aiding as the MC.

“For aviation to be a catalyst of prosperity, borders must be open to people and to trade, and travel should be made as accessible and as seamless as possible. The more people connected through flying, the greater the benefits to all the people of the world. The partners of Air Mauritius that are honoured at these awards have all played a part, in some way, in positively contributing toward this vision,” says da Silva.

For 52 years, Air Mauritius has been flying safely to Mauritius and strategically to all the developing markets connecting Asia to Africa by having established the Air Corridor between these two continents via Mauritius.

Today, Air Mauritius is a 4-star international airline generating revenue of EUR500m and carrying 1.7m passengers in new generation aircrafts, both A350-900 and A330-900 Neos with a load factor of 82%. Air Mauritius is the first airline globally to operate both of these types of new generation aircraft simultaneously, and the airline has invested  EUR15.9m in fleet modernisation, product and service. The introduction of their new generation product has not only enhanced the experience of the traveller, but also increased business substantially as technology advancements are critical in the aviation industry.

During the nights’ proceedings, da Silva announced that Air Mauritius is working towards additional flights from Mauritius into Cape Town and Johannesburg, effective April 2020. “We have established both leisure and corporate value propositions for South African entities and the consumer, offering more value for money so that travel becomes more accessible,” she added.

The various award categories and winners from the night are as follows:

  • Top Marketing Partner Award 2019 – Travelstart
  • Top Travel Smart Marketing Partner 2019 – The Holiday Factory
  • Top Commitment Partner to Mauritius 2019 –The Holiday Factory
  • Top Travel Smart Partner to Mauritius 2019 – Beachcomber Tours
  • Top Committed Seats Partner to Air Mauritius Network for 2019 – One Stop Travel and Tours
  • Special Commitment Awards
    • Terry Munro from Beachcomber Tours
    • Jacky Turnbull from the Holiday Factory
  • Top Groups Partner 2019 Mauritius
    1. Beachcomber Tours
    2. Cullinan Holdings
    3. Tourvest
  • Top Groups Partner 2019 Beyond Mauritius – One Stop Travel and Tours
  • Market Share Partner 2019 – Cullinan Holdings
  • Strategic, Collaborative, Innovative and Authentic Leader Award 2019 – Morne du Preez at Tourvest
  • Highest Growth Partner Award 2019 – Club Med Southern Africa
  • Top Corporate Consortium 2019 – Tourvest
  • Top Retail Consortium Partner 2019 – Club Travel
  • Southern Africa Top Performer 2019 Botswana – Lucky Sky Travelling Agency
  • Southern Africa Top Performer 2019 Namibia – Rennies Travel Namibia
  • Partnership Awards 2019
    • Mauritius High Commission
    • Board of Airline Representatives of South Africa (BARSA)
    • Reach for a Dream Foundation
    • IT Evolution
    • INUKA
    • Vault Marketing
    • Vaughn’s Creations
    • Now Media
    • Bidair
    • Passenger Handling – SAA
    • ACSA
    • Wesgro
  • Top Ten Partners Based On Growth 2019
    1. Beachcomber Tours
    2. The Holiday Factory
    3. Flight Centre
    4. Tourvest
    5. Club Travel
    6. Cullinan Holdings
    7. World Leisure Holidays
    8. Club Med Southern Africa
    9. Travelstart
    10. One Stop

 

In addition to celebrating those partners in the travel industry, the awards also ensure there is an opportunity for guests to make a difference in some way. This year saw a Tree of Dreams on display at the awards. This Tree of Dreams contained the dreams of children who have already arrived at the Reach For Dream Foundation, and guests had the opportunity to make a donation toward fulfilling these dreams – all in a bid to raise funds for the Foundation. Morne du Preez was the individual who purchased the most dreams and won 5 nights’ accommodation at the beautiful 5 Star Beachcomber Paradis Golf Resort and Spa, and two Business Class Tickets on Air Mauritius to Mauritius.