Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – June 5, 2010 – During a press conference
this morning at CLIA’s cruise3sixty tradeshow in Vancouver,
CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. announced a unique new scholarship program
for travel agents. Through the new program, the companies – which
comprise the leading U.S. cruise travel retail network as part of
World Travel Holdings – will offer significant financial support to
agents who join CLIA in 2010.
“CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. have a long-standing relationship with CLIA and have worked diligently to incorporate CLIA’s training into our own programs over the years,” said Dwain Wall, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. “By launching this scholarship program, we are underscoring the true value CLIA provides to travel agents and offering yet another reason why agents should affiliate with a reputable host or franchise organization.”
The cost of a CLIA membership for individual travel agents is $99 per year. The new CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. CLIA Scholarship Program has four key components:
In addition to the new scholarship program, CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. also announced today that they have begun incorporating CLIA training into their new Live Virtual Training program and that expanded CLIA training will be available at the companies’ joint annual National Conference. That event is set to take place aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Epic this October.
“Partnerships like CLIA has with CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. are a win-win for everyone involved,” said Bob Sharak, CLIA EVP, Marketing and Distribution. “Agents receive the benefit of CLIA’s training, the agency itself clearly demonstrates its commitment to professional development, and CLIA gains new opportunities to support the travel sellers who are vital to the success of our industry. We greatly look forward to expanding our relationship with CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. through this initiative and others down the road.”
For more information, visit www.CruiseOneFranchise.com or www.SellCruises.com.
About CruiseOne & Cruises Inc.:
CruiseOne, a top cruise travel franchise, was founded in 1992 and currently has nearly 600 locations. Cruises Inc., the original cruise travel host agency, was founded in 1982 and currently has nearly 500 independent contractors. Together, the companies are part of World Travel Holdings (WTH), the nation’s largest cruise retailer. CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. are industry leaders, providing agents with innovative support, training, marketing and technology programs to successfully grow their business. The companies have relationships with every major cruise line and many tour operators and as a result, offer the highest commissions in the business. Both are consistently recognized for their efforts, including being named Royal Caribbean’s “Partner of the Year,” Celebrity Cruises’ “National Account Partner of the Year” and Carnival Cruise Line’s “Travel Partner of the Year.”
About CLIA:
The nonprofit Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is North America's largest cruise industry organization. CLIA represents the interests of 25 member lines and participates in the regulatory and policy development process while supporting measures that foster a safe, secure and healthy cruise ship environment. CLIA is also engaged in travel agent training, research and marketing communications to promote the value and desirability of cruise vacations and counts as members 16,000 travel agencies and agents. For more information on CLIA, the cruise industry, and CLIA-member cruise lines and travel agencies, visit www.cruising.org. CLIA can also be followed on Twitter @TerryAtCLIA and on the Cruise Lines International Association's Fan Page on Facebook.
“CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. have a long-standing relationship with CLIA and have worked diligently to incorporate CLIA’s training into our own programs over the years,” said Dwain Wall, Senior Vice President and General Manager of CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. “By launching this scholarship program, we are underscoring the true value CLIA provides to travel agents and offering yet another reason why agents should affiliate with a reputable host or franchise organization.”
The cost of a CLIA membership for individual travel agents is $99 per year. The new CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. CLIA Scholarship Program has four key components:
- CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. will fund 100% of the first year of CLIA membership for new Franchise Owners and Independent Contractors coming onboard in 2010.
- The companies will fund 50% of the first year of membership for existing Franchise Owners and Independent Contractors who join CLIA in 2010.
- The companies will fund 50% of the CLIA membership renewal fee on an annual basis for all CruiseOne Franchise Owners and Cruises Inc. Independent Contractors, beginning in 2011.
- CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. is integrating CLIA’s Luxury Cruise Specialist designation training into its own proprietary Luxury Certification. Moving forward on an annual basis, the companies will fund 100% of the enrollment fees of CLIA’s Luxury Cruise Specialist Designation for Franchise Owners and Independent Contractors who complete the certification program.
In addition to the new scholarship program, CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. also announced today that they have begun incorporating CLIA training into their new Live Virtual Training program and that expanded CLIA training will be available at the companies’ joint annual National Conference. That event is set to take place aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Epic this October.
“Partnerships like CLIA has with CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. are a win-win for everyone involved,” said Bob Sharak, CLIA EVP, Marketing and Distribution. “Agents receive the benefit of CLIA’s training, the agency itself clearly demonstrates its commitment to professional development, and CLIA gains new opportunities to support the travel sellers who are vital to the success of our industry. We greatly look forward to expanding our relationship with CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. through this initiative and others down the road.”
For more information, visit www.CruiseOneFranchise.com or www.SellCruises.com.
About CruiseOne & Cruises Inc.:
CruiseOne, a top cruise travel franchise, was founded in 1992 and currently has nearly 600 locations. Cruises Inc., the original cruise travel host agency, was founded in 1982 and currently has nearly 500 independent contractors. Together, the companies are part of World Travel Holdings (WTH), the nation’s largest cruise retailer. CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. are industry leaders, providing agents with innovative support, training, marketing and technology programs to successfully grow their business. The companies have relationships with every major cruise line and many tour operators and as a result, offer the highest commissions in the business. Both are consistently recognized for their efforts, including being named Royal Caribbean’s “Partner of the Year,” Celebrity Cruises’ “National Account Partner of the Year” and Carnival Cruise Line’s “Travel Partner of the Year.”
About CLIA:
The nonprofit Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is North America's largest cruise industry organization. CLIA represents the interests of 25 member lines and participates in the regulatory and policy development process while supporting measures that foster a safe, secure and healthy cruise ship environment. CLIA is also engaged in travel agent training, research and marketing communications to promote the value and desirability of cruise vacations and counts as members 16,000 travel agencies and agents. For more information on CLIA, the cruise industry, and CLIA-member cruise lines and travel agencies, visit www.cruising.org. CLIA can also be followed on Twitter @TerryAtCLIA and on the Cruise Lines International Association's Fan Page on Facebook.
