Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited honours top revenue producing travel agents

The award-winning agents received their awards for generating the highest revenue in gross sales for their country/province of source during 2001.

Travel agents receiving these awards were: Kingdom of Bahrain - Al Kaatib Travel; Kuwait - Barakat Travel; Oman - OUA; Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Attar Travel and United Arab Emirates - Al Rais Travel. In addition, two recognition awards were presented to Al Ghanim Travel, Kuwait and Safwan Mahmoud from Qatar in appreciation of their sales efforts.

Further awards were also presented to Royal Caribbean's key marketing partners in the region for the year 2002, one to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines as 'Best Industry Marketing Partner' and the other to Lloyds TSB Bank as 'Best Commercial Marketing Partner'

Opening the award presentation, Rosemary McNulty-Sharpe, regional director of Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited - Middle East representative company, said, "In our seventh consecutive year of presenting these awards the vast majority of recipients are no strangers to our genuine recognition efforts over the years and we are now debating changing the name from Royal Caribbean Arabia Travel Trade Awards to Royal Caribbean Arabia Travel Trade Annual Reunion! A total of five recipients this morning are being recognised by us as the top single producing agency in their territory for Royal Caribbean sales in the year 2001 and, in addition, two recipients are being awarded for their efforts last year. The combined sales of the travel agencies we are awarding this morning contributed 25% to our annual sales from the AGCC last year and out of that contribution one single agent accounted for 43% of the awarded sales!"

Rosemary McNulty-Sharpe added, "Two years ago we awarded a 'Best Sales Partner' for an outstanding and exceptionally unique sales and marketing project that took place within Saudi Arabia. At that time the award was considered a one-off since the project was so unique. The year 2002 has presented all of us in the travel trade with a host of challenges and unnerving uncertainty. Not only did we never anticipate another exceptional opportunity with a marketing partner, we certainly did not foresee such an opening arising during an exceptionally difficult trading period. To our delight, and against all the odds, we are thrilled this year to boast of, and honour, our two exceptional and successful marketing partnerships."

Representing Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited and closing the award presentations Helen Beck, regional sales director - international sales and marketing said,"In this exceptional year, we at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises are keenly aware of the challenges faced by the travel industry as a whole and are very grateful for the continuous support and unstinting loyalty that you have shown to us. We sincerely thank you for your continued efforts both past, present and future."

At the end of the awards ceremony a special gift presentation was made to Sheikh Bader bin Salman Al Khalifa, managing director of Al Kaatib Travel Agency, Bahrain, by Helen Beck who said,

"It also gives me great pleasure to present a special award to Sheikh Bader bin Salman Al Khalifa, managing director of Al Kaatib Travel, Kingdom of Bahrain, as our strongest supporter in this region. Our special congratulations to you on producing 43% of the total revenue generated by all the award winners here today. "