January 06, 2016 // Franchising.com // FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - Innovation and growth defined 2015 for CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., which are the home-based division of World Travel Holdings, the world's largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company. CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. experienced double-digit sales growth year over year in 2015. While cruise continued to be the core business, the continuous growth in land inspired the company to make a bold move.
The announcement of Dream Vacations, a new home-based travel franchise brand, was the biggest news of 2015 and made a profound impact in the travel industry. With four months until the launch on April 4, 2016, already approximately 35 percent of CruiseOne franchisees have committed to operate under this new brand that speaks to all vacation experiences, including cruise.
“2015 is going to be tough to beat, but with the launch of the Dream Vacations brand coupled with our dynamic Headquarters team creating innovative new technology, marketing and training programs, I am confident that our CruiseOne / Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. brands will all experience tremendous growth,” said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of CruiseOne / Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. “Because their success is our only business, we make every decision with the best interests of our franchisees and agents in mind. In 2015 we laid down a strong foundation that will lead to continued success in 2016.”
In addition to receiving prestigious accolades such as being recognized as a Top Private Company by South Florida Business Journal and Florida Trend, as well as a Top Workplace by Workplace Dynamics and Sun Sentinel, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. experienced record-breaking growth and introduced numerous programs and resources making it easier than ever for franchisees and agents to operate their work-at-home business.
A reinvigorated marketing program with creative promotions funded by parent company World Travel Holdings sparked excitement among franchisees and agents, contributing to increased sales and many record-breaking days both on an individual level and corporate level.
In addition to these two successful promotions, CruiseOne made it easier than ever for franchisees to inexpensively and efficiently send direct mail pieces to their customers with the Savvy Sorter program, and launched a free automated social media program making it easier for CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. agents to create professional-looking, authorized business Facebook pages.
An engaged home-based travel agent network is a successful one, so the CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. training team focused on offering increased engagement opportunities in 2015 beyond its annual award-winning weeklong National Conference and five two-day regional trainings held throughout U.S. Franchisees and agents value the opportunity to network with each other in-person and have an open dialogue with the Headquarters team.
Launched in 2015, MeetUps are informal meetings held at coffee shops, diners or other community venues where members of the Executive Team met with a small group of local franchisees and agents. The team met with 150 franchisees/agents at MeetUps held around the country.
“We believe that our franchisees and independent agents are our customers and we value their input,” noted Fiorino. “We use these engagement opportunities to keep a pulse on the network and take action based on their feedback on what is important to them.”
Giving back is a keystone of World Travel Holdings and its brands and for the past five years Make-A-Wish® has been the company’s signature charity. In 2015, agents, franchise owners and the corporate Headquarters team donated approximately $90,000, or the equivalent of nine wishes, to Make-A-Wish®. Fundraising activities included Zumba@Sea – Dance for Wishes and the silent auction during the annual National Conference, as well as corporate teambuilding events such as the annual Gift Basket Fundraiser and first-ever “Pie in the Face” contest.
In 2015 CruiseOne reached a franchise industry milestone opening its 1,000th location and both CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. grew by 10 percent this year. “While growth is important, we understand that it must be done in moderation and we pride ourselves on always maintaining a support staff ratio of 10:1, which is higher than many competitors in the industry,” said Fiorino. “As a result of the personalized support we provide, our annual franchisee satisfaction survey revealed our highest scores ever, and a leading retention rate of 94 percent.”
CruiseOne / Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. are committed to being “Rich in Diversity” and empowers all owners, franchisees, agents and employees to reach their highest potential by leveraging their broad range of talent, experiences, personalities, viewpoints and ideas to generate business growth.
The companies are looking for individuals who are passionate about travel, helping others and are eager to go into business for themselves, but not by themselves. For more information on joining these award-winning agencies, please visit CruiseOneFranchise.com to learn more about owning a CruiseOne / Dream Vacations travel franchise, and visit SellCruises.com to learn more about the Cruises Inc. business opportunity.
World Travel Holdings is the world's leading cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company with a portfolio of more than 35 diverse brands. In addition to owning some of the largest brands distributing cruises, villas, hotels, resort vacations and luxury travel services, World Travel Holdings has a vast portfolio of licensed private label partnerships comprised of top leisure travel providers, almost every U.S. airline, leading hotel brands and prominent corporations. The company also operates a top-rated travel agency franchise and the country's original host agency. Its global presence includes operating multiple owned and private label cruise and vacation brands in the United Kingdom. World Travel Holdings has offices in Long Island, NY, Wilmington, Mass., Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., Virginia Beach, Va., and Chorley, United Kingdom. For more information, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com.
CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.® are part of World Travel Holdings, the world’s largest cruise retailer. CruiseOne is a franchise opportunity, and Cruises Inc. is an independent business opportunity; both business models provide a work from home opportunity to those interested in becoming a part of the exciting travel industry. With a mission of delivering a remarkable experience, both companies offer their customers the lowest possible pricing on vacations. For more information on CruiseOne, visit cruiseonefranchise.com. Like CruiseOne on Facebook at facebook.com/CruiseOneFranchise, and follow us on Twitter at @CruiseOneBiz. For more information on Cruises Inc., visit sellcruises.com and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/SellCruises.
SOURCE CruiseOne® and Cruises Inc.®
Rachel Shapiro
Public Relations Specialist
CruiseOne
RShapiro@wth.com
954/958-3664
CruiseOne / Dream Vacations franchisees are able to offer their customers low pricing on vacations