Current and previous winners of Travel Weekly's LIfetime Achievement Awards at this year's virtual Readers Choice Awards. Photo Credit: Travel Weekly
This year Travel Weekly honored five people with Lifetime Achievement Awards: Brad and Van Anderson, the founders of Avoya Travel; Jackie Friedman, the president of Nexion Travel Group; and Beatrice and Stanley Tollman, the husband-and-wife team who founded the Travel Corporation.
Brad and Van Anderson, the founders of Avoya Travel. Photo Credit: Travel Weekly
Brothers Brad and Van Anderson are the co-founders of Avoya Travel, a family-owned business that traces its roots to a Hawaiian travel company. Van got started in the travel industry when his parents, Pat and Pal, had him stickering brochures for that firm; Brad began his career in travel in 1973 working for his parents’ retail agency in California.
Brad and Van jointly received the Lifetime Achievement Award from CLIA in 2012.
In introducing the Andersons, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio called them “two of the most influential and honorable” people in the industry.
In accepting the award, Van thanked the Avoya agents and said he “continued to be inspired” by them. And Brad thanked Avoya’s supplier partners. “Especially those of you who have continued to pay commission even when your companies are under financial stress and the trip is canceled,” he said. “We know it’s a sacrifice. And we support you now and in the future."
Brad’s sons Jeff and Mike Anderson are now co-presidents of Avoya, and they joined the virtual event to honor their father and their uncle. “When push came to shove, you learned to trust a bunch of young people who may not have been quite ready yet, but you gave us opportunities,” Jeff said. “It’s something we want to continue here at Avoya.”
Jackie Friedman of Nexion. Photo Credit: Travel Weekly
Jackie Friedman is the president of Nexion Travel Group, the host agency owned by Internova Travel Group. She oversees a team of more than 50 employees supporting more than 5,000 independent travel professionals in the U.S. and Canada.
A constellation of names turned out to celebrate her win, including Princess exec John Chernesky, Globus’ Scott Nisbet, AmaWaterways’ Kristin Karst and other Nexion executives.
In her acceptance speech, Friedman called out her love of working with advisors.
“This year has been so tough on them,” she said. “Their positivity and passion for the industry shines through.”
Friedman joined the Nexion team in 2004 as vice president of operations and was promoted to president in 2007. Previously, she spent 15 years with Sabre. She started out working as a frontline agent and a travel agency manager in Toronto.
Friedman serves on the boards of ASTA, where she is also treasurer; the Professional Association of Travel Hosts; and numerous supplier advisory boards and is a member of the Travel Institute board of trustees and the CLIA STARBoard. She is a recipient of ASTA’s Barbara O’Hara Award for Advocacy, among other industry honors.
Beatrice and Stanley Tollman, the husband-and-wife team who founded the Travel Corporation. Photo Credit: Travel Weekly
Stanley Tollman is chairman of the Travel Corporation (TTC), which oversees more than 30 brands, including Trafalgar, Insight Vacations, Contiki and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises. Beatrice Tollman is the founder and president of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection.
The husband-and-wife team grew the group from Johannesburg, South Africa; their second venture, the Hyde Park Hotel, was home to an A-list attraction, the Colony restaurant and cabaret bar. Over the years, they expanded the hotel company and TTC’s interests in guided vacations; premium and luxury escorted tours; small-group adventures; luxury river cruising; real estate; and safari, adventure and youth travel.
The Tollmans accepted their award from Cape Town. Stanley reflected on a 70-year career in the industry; he started working at his parents’ hotel carting around beer boxes and helping in the kitchen, what he called the best education he could ever have had. Beatrice’s roots in hotels are in the kitchen, where she still spends time developing menus and working closely with staff when she isn’t personally answering guest reviews.
“Let’s hope that 2021 changes the dimension of the travel industry,” said Stanley, “and we get back to more positive ways of looking after people and … what is the most important dynamic in their lives: their annual holiday.”