Displaying items by tag:First Travel Group
‘Keep on learning’: Agents’ future is about knowledge, FTG event delegates hear
First Travel Group members have been reminded they need to understand where they add value to their customers’ travel planning and purchasing process – and then to ‘double down’ on it.
FTG event wraps up, high achievers lauded
First Travel Group’s 2026 frontliners’ conference wrapped up on Saturday night with a gala dinner and awards at the Grand Millennium Auckland.
Earlier in proceedings, FTG’s general manager John Willson told member delegates to firmly believe that they are the best at what they do. ‘If you believe that you will be.
‘Tonight we celebrate the work you do every day – that work matters and you deserve recognition.’
Major awards included: Supplier of the Year, Viking; Broker Excellence Award 2026, Jane Hanson, YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem; Aspiring Consultant Award 2026, Olivia Harter, YOU Travel & Cruise Orewa; Cruise Excellence Award 2026, Lydia Haydon, YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem; Top supporter Award for 2026, dual winners – Sandra Rasmussen, YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem and Steph Dale, YOU Travel & Cruise Mairangi Bay; Travel Advisor Excellence Award 2026, Morgan Wright, Pukekohe Travel; Manager Excellence Award 2026, Monett Johnston, YOU Travel & Cruise Whitianga; Agency Excellence Award 2026, YOU Travel & Cruise Orewa.
First Travel Group’s John Willson, Kim Beere and Amy Davidson at the FTG Hive Conference’s supplier appreciation evening at Grand Millennium Auckland on Friday
Kellie Mackenzie, Scenic and Emerald Cruises; Vanessa Fornell, Belinda Wilson, both Pukekohe Travel
Kim Hoogstraten, Jane Hanson, YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem; Matt Jenkins, Paige Myocevich, Air New Zealand
Olivia Harter (who was later awarded Aspiring Consultant 2026), Celise Reed, both YOU Travel & Cruise Orewa; Sue Pearce, Zest4Travel
Samantha Martin, Wendy Wu Tours; Jeremy Shanahan, YOU Travel & Cruise Takapuna; Jenny Galliven, Zest4Travel
Derren Mcaneaney, YOU Travel & Cruise Mairangi Bay; Sarah Hunter, GO Holidays; Sarah Peck, YOU Travel & Cruise Napier
Michelle Denysschen, Total Holiday Options; Sian Loh, YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem; Anita Thomas, THO Erin Graham, Zest4Travel Dunedin
Steve Parker (third from left), Viking; with Frazer Best, Kiri Best and Jacqui Quilliam, all Best Travel & Cruise (Viking was named Supplier of the Year at the awards function)
BIG thinking at FTG conference
An Ultimate Cruise workshop, extensive trade show, awards and a BIG (best in game) theme were all features of First Travel Group’s 2025 conference at Grand Millennium Auckland over the weekend.
Some 170 participants – including FTG members, suppliers and other partners – took part in the programme.
A full awards ceremony and gala dinner saw both supplier and supreme ‘gongs’. Among the names frequently called out were Pukekohe Travel, Fortis Travel and YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem. Other agencies who had people walk to the stage more than once included YOU Travel & Cruise Orewa, Cruise Connections and North Shore Business Travel.
Supreme awards were: Aspiring consultant, Shannara Robinson, Best Travel and Cruises; Top broker, Jo O’Neill, Holland Clarke and Beatson; Top cruise consultant, Lisa Wharfe, Pukekohe Travel; Top corporate consultant, Leah Morresey, YOU Travel & Cruise Feilding; Top supporter, Tracey Gorst, YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem.
During the evening special recognition (and a standing ovation) was given to Russell (Rusty) Willis who is retiring from Hawaiian Airlines.
The full list of supplier awards winners at the First Travel Group gala dinner:
Air New Zealand top agency growth: Concept Travel/Ski Travel
Air New Zealand top revenue: Fortis Travel
Allianz recognition: Pukekohe Travel
APT/Travel Marvel top performance: YOU Travel Bethlehem
Creative Cruising recognition: YOU Travel Bethlehem
Creative Cruising top agency growth: YOU Travel & Cruise Waihi
Cover-More Insurance top performance: YOU Travel & Orewa
Croatia Times Travel appreciation: YOU Travel & Cruise Ferrymead
Cruise World top performance: Pukekohe Travel
Emirates top performance: North Shore Business Travel
Express Tickets top performance: Zest4Travel
Fiji Airways top agency and top growth: Our Pacific
Francis Travel Marketing top agency: Cruise Connections
Globus Family of Brands: Pukekohe Travel
GO Holidays top performance: YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem
Holland America Line top agency sales: YOU Travel Bethlehem
Journey Beyond highest FIT sales: Pukekohe Travel
Norwegian Cruise Lines rising star: Olivia Harter, YOU Travel & Cruise Orewa
Oceania top seller: Julie Seivwright, YOU Travel & Cruise Taupo
Qantas top performance: Fortis Travel
Qatar Airways top recognition: Bon Voyage Cruises & Travel
Rail Europe top performance and recognition award: The Private Travel Company
Scenic Group top recognition: Cruise Connections
Seabourn top agency: North Shore Business Travel
Singapore Airlines top performance: Fortis Travel
The Travel Corporation top store: Pukekohe Travel
Total Holiday Options top performance: YOU Travel Whitianga
United Airlines top performance: Fortis Travel
Uniworld top performance: YOU Travel & Cruise Manly, YOU Travel & Cruise Orewa
Viking top performer: Pukekohe Travel
Viking spirit: Libby Stafford, Cruise Connections
Wendy Wu top performer: YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem
Wild Earth Travel top recognition: Kiri Martin, YOU Travel & Cruise Orewa
World Journeys top perfromace: North Shore Business Travel
t the FTG BIG tradeshow…Lynsey Brown, World Journeys; Sian Loh, YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem; Davina Bennetto, World Journeys
Nigel Seidelin, Express Tickets and Jane Jones, GO Holidays
First Travel Group’s Chris Armstrong, John Willson, Rachel Drake, Ali Salmon and Fynnola Campbell
Megan Porter, NCL; Olivia Harter, YOU Travel & Cruise Orewa
Paula Kerr, Singapore Airlines; Mandy Nicod, Blair Huston, Fortis Travel
Anita Thomas, Total Holiday Options (centre) with Monett Johnston and Diana Williams, both YOU Travel & Cruise Whitianga
Jill Wilkinson, APT / Travelmarvel; Kay Rogers, YOU Travel Bethlehem
The YOU Travel & Cruise Ferrymead team… Amy Crossden, Melissa Landrebe, Brittany Frost, Tanya Cross, Sandra Toland
Jenna Allan, Tegan Roney, Creative Cruising
Olivia Harter, YOU Travel & Cruise Orewa; Sarah Brensell and Tammy Biggs, both YOU Travel & Cruise Waihi
Tina Ripley, YOU Travel & Cruise New Lynn; Matt Jenkins, Air New Zealand
That’ll do nicely… Pukekohe Travel’s Damian O’Connor, Lisa Wharfe, and Craig Boyt celebrate success at the FTG awards
Rising star Shannara Robinson, Best Travel & Cruise with FTG’s Paul Smith and Kylie Crouch
Kiri Martin, YOU Travel & Cruise Orewa with Sarah Porter, Wild Earth Travel
Julie Seivwright, YOU Travel & Cruise Taupo; Dani Enes, Oceania Cruises
Libby Stafford, Cruise Connections caught up with Viking's Steve Parker
FTG embraces Elevate theme at frontliners’ event
Delegates at the First Travel Group’s frontliners’ conference in Grand Millennium Auckland over the weekend were reminded that their advantage over technology will always be personal knowledge.
‘You have really grasped the last 12 months and produced fantastic results,’ FTG’s general manager retail, John Willson told attendees on Saturday morning. ‘Technology will never replace experience, talent and knowledge.’
He says the conference theme of Elevate encompassed a number of areas, including the need to adapt. ‘One thing we know about this industry is that it is constantly changing and that we have to work smarter, not harder.’
The conference included an afternoon dedicated to cruise last Friday plus a welcome function, then supplier booth sessions, panel discussions and a keynote speaker during the day on Saturday.
Proceedings wrapped up with an awards night. Among the major achievers were Top Broker Award 2024, Jane Hanson, YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem; Top Cruise Consultant, Lisa Wharfe, Pukekohe Travel; Top Corporate Consulant, Kirstin Dickens, Fortis Travel; Top Retail Consultant, Lydia Haydon, YOU Travel & Cruise Bethlehem; Thrive Award, Gail Littin, Pukekohe Travel.
More than 170 FTG delegates were joined by 50 supplier representatives during the event.
First Travel Group’s Paul Smith (left) and John Willson with Supreme Award winners Kirstin Dickens, Jane Hanson, Gail Littin, Lisa Wharfe and Lydia Haydon
From Holland, Clarke and Beatson, Christchurch…D’Arne Haines, Anne Jory, Emma Dennison, Charlotte Zijlstra, Holly Turner, Mitchell Holland, Jacquie Holland, Jo O’Neill at the welcome function on Friday night
Nikki Brown, YOU Travel & Cruise Feilding; Alka Thapar, MSC Cruises; Julie Sievwright, YOU Travel & Cruise Taupo
John Willson, First Travel Group; Stu Jones, Air New Zealand; Nigel Seidelin, Express Tickets
At the elevate conference trade/supplier event….Mya Dunlop and Michelle Berett, both YOU TRAVEL & Cruise Warkworth; Amaan Khan, Total Holiday Options; Stephen Jennings, YOU Travel & Cruise, Napier
Jana Schleehauf, ITA Network; Amy Crossen, Janelle Buchanan, Brittany Frost, all YOU Travel & Cruise Ferrymead
Francois Guionn, Mel Dearing, Paul Smith, Ada Leger, Debra Phillips, all Lifestyle Holidays
Gianna Pfenniger, YOU Travel & Cruise Manly; Dennis Day, YOU Travel & Cruise Manly; Tracey Brennan, Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Pam Hardy, Cody Fifield, both YOU Travel & Cruise Levin; Brittany Homan, Fiji Airways
James Douglas, Singapore Airlines; Sam Fowler, Travel Connections; and Paul Dymond, Wendy Wu Tours
Jenny Galliven, Zest4Travel; Katie Meek, Qantas; and Emma Dennison, Holland, Clarke & Beatson
Steve Parker, Viking; Kylie Crouch, First Travel Group
Year of living sensibly: Outbound sector numbers ‘about right’ says stalwart
The New Zealand travel trade can expect to be as busy as last year as it heads into 2024 but the sector still needs to be careful about the way forward in the medium to long term, says John Willson, general manager retail at First Travel Group.
Industry needs to attract youth
With travel agents being valued by clients to a higher level than they have enjoyed for many years, the future for the industry looks bright, delegates at the weekend’s First Travel Conference heard from CEO Malcolm MacLeod.
HLO to acquire ETG/FTG
Helloworld Travel Limited has agreed to acquire 100% of Express Travel Group brands in Australia and New Zealand from current owners Tom Manwaring and Sintack Pty Ltd.
These brands include First Travel Group, YOU Travel, and Lifestyle Holidays in New Zealand; Express Travel Group, Creative Cruising and Chung Pak Travel in Australia.
'Adapt to current environment'
Despite initially being driven largely by the visiting friends and relatives (VFR) market and pent up demand, the current upsurge in travel enquiries and bookings should in no way be regarded as a flash in the pan, says First Travel Group’s general manager retail John Willson.
He says the trade needs to adapt to the current business environment, at least in the medium term, where the challenge is having the people power to cater for the upsurge – as well as making sure travel businesses are profitable.
New retail store for YOU Travel
First Travel Group has announced its first new YOU Travel store to open in three years.
YOU Travel Warkworth opened last week on the main street of the rapidly expanding town. The addition of YOU Travel Warkworth now sees First Travel Group’s number of locations from Taupo north increase to 35.
Agents hail major step forward, report bookings have started
The travel and tourism sectors have greeted the Government’s five step opening plan with enthusiasm, with TAANZ president Brent Thomas saying this is the first time since March 2020 that the message has clearly been ‘the borders are open’.
However they have also pinpointed major ongoing challenges, particualrly the self isolation requirement. (See separate story this page)
