Winners Soar
The winners of the annual Air Mauritius Travel Oscars Awards were announced at a glittering ceremony held in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg on Thursday, 21 February 2019.
Under the theme, ‘In the Clouds with Air Mauritius’, Carla da Silva, Regional Manager, South Africa and Latin America, congratulated the winners and praised them, and the travel industry, for continuously supporting Air Mauritius, despite the challenges of 2018.
“We value the dynamic travel industry in Southern Africa and the solid partnerships we have established. This past year was an exciting year, as Air Mauritius became the first airline globally to operate the Airbus A350-900 and the Airbus A330-900neo simultaneously, following the launch of these new generation aircraft.
“The roll out of free on-board Wi-Fi will allow our customers to be connected at all times. An enhanced mobile app and soon-to-be-launched improved Air Mauritius website, with compelling customer value propositions ~ will all result in a far superior online experience.”
However, da Silva explained that the new generation aircraft and new technology had come at a high cost to the national carrier ~ hence the overload on the P&L Statement. Currency fluctuations, coupled with increased operational and fuel costs, continued to be a hurdle over the past 12 months. Furthermore, increased competition with price wars, added tremendous pressure to the aviation industry as a whole. This has resulted in many more joint ventures and alliances negotiated across the globe, as the profit margins within the aviation arena have remained small.
“Innovation, technology enhancements, cash conservation and value for money propositions to the consumer, have to be more compelling. The prevailing challenging environment will continue and a focussed approach, with constant innovation, is critical.”
A number of award categories were presented on the night, including:
- Top Performer 2018: Beachcomber Tours
- Top Marketing Partner 2018: Travelstart
- Top Travel Smart Marketing Partner 2018: Beachcomber Tours
- Top Beyond Mauritius 2018: One Stop Travel and Tours
- Top Travel Smart Partner 2018: Beachcomber Tours
- Top Groups Partner 2018: Beachcomber Tours
- Top Committed Seats Partner Mauritius 2018: Beachcomber Tours
- Top Committed Seats Partner Beyond 2018: One Stop Travel and Tours
- Top Johannesburg Partner 2018: The Holiday Factory
- Top Cape Town Partner 2018: Beachcomber Tours
- Top Durban Partner 2018: One Stop Travel and Tours
- Top Market Share Partner 2018: One Stop Travel and Tours
- Most Innovative Thinker 2018: Candice May
- Highest Growth Partner 2018: One Stop Travel and Tours
- Top Partner Zambia 2018: Voyagers Zambia
- Top Partner Namibia 2018: Rennies Travel
- Top Partner Botswana 2018: Skylink Travel
Ranked Top Performers 2018:
- 10th Position Bid Travel
- 9th Position Tourvest
- 8th Position Club Travel
- 7th Position Travelstart
- 6th Position World Leisure Holidays
- 5th Position One Stop Travel and Tours
- 4th Position Cullinan Outbound Tourism
- 3rd Position The Holiday Factory
- 2nd Position Flight Centre Travel Group
- 1st Position Beachcomber Tours
Evolving travel models:
Da Silva concluded that the travel trade in Southern Africa represents a host of dynamic leaders, who understand travel and business very well. “Travel models have advanced and exciting online booking tools have been developed by numerous partners, resulting in dynamic platforms, supported by the latest technology. Despite the challenging landscape, our travel partners have done well, and I applaud them for their innovation and phenomenal leadership. Their resilience and perseverance is admirable, and we sincerely thank all our stakeholders you for your valued partnership, support and loyalty.”
Winning example:
Da Silva herself is also a winner, having won the Standard Bank Leadership and Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, Business Person of the Year Award in 2018. In addition, she was awarded ‘Lioness of the Skies’ for her positive contribution to aviation and presented with a Recognition Award from the Reach For A Dream Foundation ~ for her positive impact on the lives of terminally ill children, as a Director of the Foundation.
Issued by and to contact on behalf of Air Mauritius:
Louise Churches
Glass Slipper Communications
Cell: 083 703 3750
E-mail: louise@glass-slipper.co.za
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