Queenstown-based xtravel took home dual awards at the TAANZ NTIA25s, and the honours come as it reveals an expansion into the corporate sector.
The agency’s founding member Niki Davies (pictured left) was named Travel Broker (Individual) of the Year, while fellow founder Tori Keating (pictured right) took home Community Connection of the Year and was a finalist for Marketing Campaign of the Year. Davies says winning the awards was an incredible honour, while Keating adds that to be recognised for community connection means the world. “It’s about more than travel, it’s about people, and I’m so proud to represent that.” For the win, both thank their team. “It truly is a privilege to jump out of bed each day knowing that the work we do brings real joy—not just to our clients, but to us as well,” the duo say. “That joy wouldn’t be possible without the powerhouse team of xtravel curators who bring their passion, creativity, and care to everything they do.”
. . . Community
It’s community that has xtravel launching a corporate division, with its first full-time corporate consultant joining the group in Jun. Keating says there’s real opportunity in Queenstown, where a lot of the SMEs have a really strong ethos of giving back and want to align with a company such as xtravel which does the same. “So we’re meeting that demand now, as more businesses are thriving within ZQN.” xtravel also reports steady cruise demand and Keating adds it is also seeing a lot of touring, or as she describes it ‘land cruising’, as well as groups. “We are seeing more people wanting to travel together and create meaningful memories together. . . in some instances it’s family groups, it’s friend groups and it’s also business groups, too.”
