MSC and Jet2holidays recognised for ‘pivotal’ pandemic work

MSC’s Antonio Paradiso and Jet2holidays’ Steve Heapy were recognised for their efforts during the pandemic at an awards ceremony held by Travel Village Group.

The agency held the ceremony during its first conference on board MSC Virtuosa over the weekend, where both staff and operators were recognised for achievements made in the past year.

UK and Ireland managing director of MSC Antonio Paradiso (pictured second from left) received the Individual Contribution Award for work MSC carried out to keep cruises going during the pandemic, including the introduction of bubbles on board.

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Phil Nuttall, chief executive of Travel Village Group, said: “If it wasn’t for Antonio and MSC’s blueprint of sailing through the pandemic with bubbles and protocols, we wouldn’t have had any seacations last summer.

“In my opinion, the work he did saved a lot of business – it was a pivotal moment for the industry.”

Jet2holidays won the Special Award for the speed in which it handled refunds for customers with holidays affected by the pandemic. Chief executive Steve Heapy was given a special mention for his contribution.

Nuttall (pictured right) said: “The speed at which Jet2holidays handled refunds was absolutely critical in allowing us to get people rebooked as quickly as possible and ensuring we could keep our business going.

“Both Steve and Antonio don’t always get the recognition that they deserve but without the two of them we would have been in dire straits.”

Additionally, Travel Village Group’s top selling agents were recognised for their achievements, and an award was named after employee Karen Hardiman, who died of cancer at the beginning of this year.