Luxury Cruise Specialist Ruth Turpin Receives Top Award from Virtuoso

Ruth Turpin, owner of Cruises Etc. in Fort Worth, Texas, recently received a lifetime achievement award, the Ruby of Siam, from Virtuoso, the luxury travel consortium.

The award is presented at the Virtuoso Symposium each year to a member who has made major contributions to the network, upholds the highest professional standards, and has worked to promote Virtuoso. Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch presented the award during this year’s symposium in Amsterdam.

AmaWaterways Reveals New Renderings of Revolutionary…
Cruise Line Cruise Ship

The Crystal Endeavor Suite Life
Crystal Cruises Blog

AgentStudio Welcomes Crystal Cruises
Cruise Line Cruise Ship

Why a Trusted Travel Advisor is Important
AmaWaterways Blog

icon_vacationagentVirtuoso’s Record Growth Continues
Host Agency Consortia

Turpin opened the first cruise-only agency in the Southwest almost 40 years ago. She has become a top producer for many luxury cruise lines such as Crystal, AmaWaterways and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. She recently returned from Crystal’s travel agent gala cruise for million-dollar producers on Crystal Symphony. Turpin has been selected for the Travel + Leisure Top 100 list of agents for 15 years.

She is serving her fifth year on the Virtuoso Member Advisory Board and is the liaison to the Virtuoso Cruise Committee. Her agency also was honored this year as Virtuoso’s most Engaged Agency. She was also named Cruise Ambassador of the Year.

How did the Ruby of Siam begin? In 1987, during the inaugural overseas symposium in Bangkok, a young boy tried to sell a ruby gemstone, which he claimed was genuine, to Matthew Upchurch, of what was then called Allied Percival International. Upchurch passed on his offer, but the boy persisted. Throughout the day, the boy followed the agent attendees from venue to venue, trying to convince them to buy the stone. To prove it was a real precious gem, the boy smashed it to the ground, banged it, tried to scratch it, and even set it on fire. Along the way, he slowly reduced his asking price, but never wavered that the ruby was real.

Eventually, Upchurch bought the ruby for a nominal amount, far less than the original asking price. As the story was retold, the red stone became symbolic of ingenuity, perseverance, and relentless dedication and commitment to a goal. Turpin is the 31st recipient of the award.