Queensland travel agents dominate prestigious award’s 16th year

Queensland has contributed three of the five travel agents named today as finalists in the 2012 Avis Travel Agent Scholarship, the travel industry's most enduring and prestigious award program.

Now in its 16th year, the Avis Travel Agent Scholarship (www.avisscholarship.com) rewards outstanding customer service and is open to all Australian leisure and corporate travel consultants. This year’s finalists are:

• Jennifer Anderseck, American Express Business Travel (Victoria)

• Bettiann Gain, MTA Travel (Queensland)

• Marica Salpietro, Peregrine Adventures (Retail) (Victoria)

• Illaina Van Veen, Corporate Traveller (Queensland)

• Leanne McGovern, MTA Travel (Queensland)

All five finalists will now travel to Sydney on 31 October to attend the Scholarship’s final judging session, with the 2012 winner announced that evening at the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney.

This year’s Scholarship is valued at more than $40,000, with the winner receiving two business-class tickets to New York, six nights’ accommodation in Manhattan and seven days’ Avis car rental.

This year’s winning travel agent will also be presented with a range of career development opportunities. These include a first-year tourism scholarship to study at Southern Cross University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, four ICCA cruise training modules, professional coaching from Polonious Resources and admission into the Travel Industry Mentor Experience (TIME).