TRAVEL + LEISURE OFFERS A SNEAK PEEK OF ITS 2010 “A-LIST” AT TRAVEL MART AND REVEALS 73 VIRTUOSO® EXPERTS MADE THE LIST

Comprising 60% of the List, Virtuoso is the Most Recognized Travel Network

New York (September 21, 2010) – Virtuoso® is pleased to announce that 73 travel experts from its leading luxury network were named to TRAVEL + LEISURE’s “2010 A-List of Top Travel Agents.” With Virtuoso’s elite travel advisors and preferred suppliers accounting for 60 percent of the ninth annual collection of 121 worlds-best agents, Virtuoso is the most celebrated travel network on the coveted list. TRAVEL + LEISURE magazine revealed its much anticipated “A-List” at Virtuoso’s Travel Mart conference in August, a full month before the October 2010 issue hits newsstands on September 24. TRAVEL + LEISURE VP/Publisher J.P. Kyrillos and Deputy Editor Laura Begley Bloom exclusively unveiled this year’s list, and honored the selected Virtuoso advisors at a private reception.

“The destination and travel specialists named to the ‘A-List’ are among the best in the industry, and we are so proud that well over half of them belong to the Virtuoso network,” said Matthew D. Upchurch, CTC, CEO of Virtuoso. “These experts elevate their profession by continually demonstrating their expertise and exceptional service, and represent the caliber of talent associated with this network. Travelers who arrange their trips through these ‘A-Listers’ do so with confidence, knowing that their collaboration with a Virtuoso advisor will yield a more memorable travel experience.”

Whether VIP-ing clients, finagling the perfect suite at a sold-out hotel, assisting when flight schedules go awry, or mapping out the trip of a lifetime, Virtuoso’s “A-List Agents” – or one of the network’s 6,000 advisors worldwide – are constantly working to create exceptional travel experiences for their clients, and continue to prove themselves as industry leaders as a result. A full list of Virtuoso “A List” experts appears below, and can be reached by calling 866-401-7974.

Virtuoso Experts on Travel + Leisure’s 2010 “A List”:

Super-Agents:
Priscilla Alexander* (Protravel International, New York City)
Diane Hilliard* (Hilliard & Olander Ltd., Stillwater, MN)
Mary Ann Ramsey* (Betty Maclean Travel, Naples, FL)
Anne Morgan Scully* (McCabe World Travel, McLean, VA)
Jim Strong* and Nancy Strong (Strong Travel, Dallas, TX)
Valerie Ann Wilson (Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., New York City)

United States and Canada:
Alaska – Margret Propper (Brownell Travel, Birmingham, AL)
New York City – Amy Glass (Protravel International, New York City)
Western U.S. – Deborah Trevino (Hobson Travel, Naperville, IL)
Europe
England – Ellen LeCompte (Sterling Brownell Travel, Richmond, VA)
England – Tammi R. Van Volkinburgh (Private Travel Consulting Services, Raleigh, NC)
England – Susie Worthy (NoteWorthy Group, London, England)
Germany – Elisabeth Landry (Century Travel, Atlanta, GA)
Greece – Kelly Shea (Earle Travel Co., Indianapolis, IN)
Hungary – Nathalie Nagy (Protravel International, New York City)
Ireland – Carol Cornell (Covington Travel Inc., Fort Wayne, IN)
Italy – Judy Nussbaum (Unique Travel of Palm Beach, Delray Beach, FL)
Italy – Andrea Grisdale (IC Bellagio, Bellagio, Como Italy)
Russia – Greg Tepper (Exeter International, Tampa FL)
Scandinavia – Carol Arklind (Travel Dynamics Group Inc., La Jolla, CA)
Scotland – Claire Schoeder (Century Travel, Atlanta, GA)
Spain – Virginia Irurita (Made For Spain, Madrid, Spain)
Turkey – Fred Poe (Poe Travel Service, Little Rock, AR)

Latin America:
Argentina – Maita Barrenechea (Mai 10, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Brazil – Jerry Greenberg* (Cassis Travel Services Inc., Los Angeles, CA)
Costa Rica – Rachael Bockoven Colbert (Big Five Tours & Expeditions, Stuart, FL)
Costa Rica – Zachary Rabinor (Journey Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
Ecuador – Tatiana Johnston (Big Five Tours & Expeditions, Stuart, FL)
Mexico – Martin Frankenberg (Matueté Brazil, Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Caribbean:
Janet McLaughlin (Provident Travel Corporation, Cincinnati, OH)

Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific:
Australia – Cassandra Bookholder (Camelback Odyssey Travel, Phoenix, AZ)

Asia
China – Guy Rubin (Imperial Tours, Beijing, China)
India/Sri Lanka – Ellison Poe (Poe Travel, Little Rock, AK)
India/Sri Lanka – Ashish Sanghrajka (Big Five Tours & Expedition, Stuart, FL)
Southeast Asia – Darlene Ravin (Andavo Independent Elite, Greenwood Village, CO)

Africa and the Middle East
Africa – Dana Welch (Travel Society, Denver, CO)
Africa – Joel Zack (Heritage Tours Private Travel, New York City)
Egypt – Malaka Hilton (Admiral Travel, Sarasota, FL)
Morocco – Michael Diamond (Heritage Tours Private Travel, New York City)
Southern Africa – Judy Udwin (Century Travel, Atlanta, GA)
Southern Africa – Phoebe Weinberg (Greatways Travel, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI)
United Arab Emirates – Lindsey Wallace (Linara Travel, Eagle, ID)

Cruises:
Cruises – Betsy Patton (Betty Maclean Travel, Inc., Naples, FL)
Cruises – Liz Sutton (Alabama World Travel, Montgomery, AL)
Cruises – Ruth Turpin (Cruises Etc. Travel, Fort Worth, TX)
Residential Cruises – Claudia Gordon (Betty Maclean Travel, Inc., Naples, FL)
World Cruises – Lois Moran (Betty Maclean Travel, Inc., Naples, FL)

Family:
Family/Active – Fontaine Gatti (Travelong Inc., Summit, NJ)
Family/Active – Kay Merrill (Are We There Yet? Family Adventures, Larkspur, CA)
Family/Hotels & Resorts – Kimberly Wilson Wetty* (Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., New York City)
Family/Safaris – Paul Largay (Largay Travel, Waterbury, CT)

Business Travel, Hotels, and Spas:
Business Travel – Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg (Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., New York City)
Hotels – Manny Beauregard (Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., Atlanta, GA)
Spas – Karen Benson (Camelback Odyssey Travel, Phoenix, AZ)
Spas – Maureen “Mo” Smith (Travel Experts, Raleigh, NC)

Special Interest
Adventure – Betty Jo Currie (Currie & Co. Travels Unlimited, Atlanta, GA)
Culture & Education – Margery Hunter (Rudi Steele Travel, Dallas, TX)
Culture & Education – Paul Niskanen* (Cruise Masters/Concierge Travel Advisors, Portland, OR)
Diving – Gene Lashley (Century Travel, Atlanta, GA)
Food/Wine – Lynda Turley Garrett (Alpine Travel, Saratoga, CA)
Food/Wine – Katie McCormack Krinkie (McCabe World Travel, McLean, VA)
Gay/Lesbian – David Rubin (DavidTravel, Corona del Mar, CA)
Golf – Susan Dischner (Four Seasons Travel, Savannah, GA)
Hiking/Walking – Doris White (Travel Dynamics, La Jolla, CA)
Honeymoons – Peter Lloyd (Century Travel, Atlanta, GA)
Hunting/Fishing – Betsy Donley*(Camelback Odyssey Travel, Phoenix, AZ)
Hunting/Fishing – Mollie Fitzgerald (Frontiers International Travel, Wexford, PA)
Photography – Janie Bullard (Distinctive Journeys, Powder Springs, GA)
Skiing/Snowboarding – Marrilee Foukal McLean (Alabama World Travel, Montgomery, AL)
Yachts/Villas – Sara Duffy (SRD International, Los Angeles, CA)

*Member of T+L’s Travel Agent Advisory Board (TAAB). The group, which convenes regularly to discuss and share new research, trends, and market conditions, provides T+L's marketing partners with intelligence and insights to enhance their businesses.

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