by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 5:21 PM ET, Mon November 9, 2026
The 2026 Travvy Awards, TravelPulse’s own awards ceremony, with winners chosen by the travel advisors who know the industry best, took place on November 5 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Among the winners was a special category reserved for only two industry titans each year: the Travvy Travel Hall of Fame awards.
This year, one of those honored with the Travel Hall of Fame award was Alex Sharpe, CEO of Signature Travel Network.
Former Norwegian Cruise Line executive and current travel industry advisor Andy Stuart introduced him to the stage, and colleagues and friends congratulated him with a video message, jokingly poking fun at the good-natured Sharpe, who joked about having seven pages of his speech to recite.
“This industry is about people,” Sharpe said. “The people we serve, the many of you, the travel advisors, my members, partners, my coworkers. Our business is about the job that travel advisors and partners create for our mutual customers. It’s about the people who serve our customers: cruise crew, hotel workers and locals in-destination who take care of your customers every single day, and the impact they have on all of us here in this room, the understanding and empathy they create for all of us. Understanding is knowing, and knowing leads to caring about the places, about culture and most importantly, about the people in these destinations. Really and truly, shouldn’t that be the goal of travel?”
Sharpe thanked several of his colleagues and travel industry mentors.
“If you only absorb one thing from this talk, please remember that we can get lost in the work, lose sight of the big, beautiful picture of what we get to do every single day. I stand here knowing full well that I couldn’t have done anything without those who’ve mentored me, directly and indirectly…”
Signature Travel Network is a travel agency cooperative that generates $13 billion annually. It began in 1956 and prioritizes high performance over a wide membership base. Partners include Abercrombie & Kent, AmaWaterways and Railbookers.
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