cruise3sixty Clipbook

Sample Coverage

TravelAgent MARCH 24, 2014

UNITING BUYERS AND SELLERS THROUGH MULTIMEDIA INTELLIGENCE

www.travelagentcentral.com

CRUISING’S DECADE OF CHANGE CLIA President and CEO Christine Duffy prepares for 10th cruise3sixty SEE PAGE 24

INSIDE:

Adventure in Mexico London Luxury Update Ski Breckenridge Airline Seat Upgrades SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS:

Hawaii Family Travel Focus Ireland Focus ON THE WEB Cruise lines are well represented among the specialist courses and rewards programs at Travel Agent University, www.tauiv.com

CLIA’s President and CEO Christine Duffy: “CLIA continues—on behalf of all the cruise line members —to be very committed to the work we do for travel agents and the travel agency community.”

PHOTO BY IRENE OWSLEY

24 | TravelAgent | www.travelagentcentral.com | MARCH 24, 2014

CRUISING’S DECADE OF CHANGE Assessing the state of the industry as CLIA’s 10th annual cruise3sixty agent conference approaches.

BY SUSAN J. YOUNG

I

N 2014,

an estimated 21.7 million guests will sail on Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) global cruise fleet of 400+ ships including 15 new ships. That’s a lot of berths to fill. Another 20 ships will join the CLIA global fleet between 2015 and 2018.

A decade ago, cognizant of the industry growth and the increasing need for more skilled travel agents to market and sell cruises, Cruise Lines International Association (www. cruising.org) launched its first cruise3sixty conference. That sold-out show welcomed 1,300 travel agents and since then, CLIA has conducted the conference annually, mostly in South Florida but also twice in Vancouver, BC. Between April 2-6, more than 2,000 travel agents will converge upon the Broward County Convention Center within Port Everglades, FL, for CLIA’s 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference, poised to become the organization’s biggest and most productive ever.

“We’re so really excited for cruise3sixty’s 10 years and, in addition, next year CLIA will be celebrating 40 years,” says Christine Duffy, CLIA’s president and CEO. “We have a lot of milestones. CLIA continues—on behalf of all the cruise line members—to be very committed to the work we do for travel agents and the travel agency community. We’re excited to see record [attendance] numbers.”

Keeping a pipeline of professional travel agents flowing into the cruise selling marketplace is more important than ever. Today’s CLIA is far larger than in the past, with 13 cruise industry associations worldwide operating under one organizational umbrella, and 61 cruise line members. CLIA also has 250 executive partners—port authorities, destinations and maritime and industry suppliers.

Trade-wise, more than 13,500 CLIA travel agency members reach over 50,000 agents throughout North America, UK & Ireland, Australia, Asia and elsewhere. Karin Viera, vice president of sales,Vacation.com says many of her group’s members attend cruise3sixty and find it very ben-

eficial: “The training, panels, networking and ship inspections have the highest satisfaction.”

Concurring is Michelle Fee, co-founder and CEO, Cruise Planners (www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com), who has encouraged her group’s franchise owners to attend. “The reason is simple—education is the key to success,” she says, adding that in an age of information overload, as an agent, the days of being an order taker are over. “If you want to win new business and keep clients satisfied, you need to be at the top of your game, so educating yourself is paramount.”

Evolving Cruise3Sixty What’s new for the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference? First, CLIA shifted cruise3sixty to April 2-6, a bit earlier in the year than normal. It’s usually later in April or in May or June. Duffy explained that this allows for more ship inspections. Seasonally home ported ships often sail away from South Florida sometime in April. Moving the conference a bit earlier allows agents to tour more ships including some not previously available for inspection.

New this year, a record 26 ships will be available for agents to inspect at Port Everglades and PortMiami. In addition, at past conferences agents could sign up for two or three ships to inspect, but this year agents may register for up to four ship inspections with the possibility of even a fifth or sixth, pending availability. Among the ships are Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas, Carnival Sunshine, Celebrity Reflection, Disney Wonder, Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam, MSC Divina, Norwegian Getaway and Royal Princess.

Advance registration is required and Duffy urged agents who haven’t done so to sign up now. “Ship inspections are one of the most popular and important aspects of cruise3sixty,” she says. “They always sell out quickly.” At press time, 14 ships were still available for inspection reservations.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 MARCH 24, 2014 | www.travelagentcentral.com | TravelAgent | 25

COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

In yet another development, CLIA is introducing a completely revitalized training curriculum. Duffy pointed to 10 new, one-hour training courses that were created directly from agent feedback. She says they’re more contemporary in content and format and also shorter than some past CLIA courses.

Agents receive 10 certification credits for each course completed.

Approximately 35-50 of Nexion’s (www.nexion.com) agents typically attend cruise3sixty, according to Jackie

to life so that I could come back and be more knowledgeable as I dealt with customers for cruises,” King emphasized, noting that another travel advisor from his agency will attend this year.

Duffy has confirmed that four top cruise industry executives will participate at the first General Session on April 4; speakers include Arnold Donald, president and CEO, Carnival Corporation; Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Kevin Sheehan, CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line; and Pierfran-

Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas is among the newest, and one of the two largest, of the growing number of mega-ships.

Friedman, that host group’s president.

She said the Institute Track, a fast-track approach to CLIA certification with multiple courses and ship inspections offered at the conference, as a big plus.

Agents enrolled in Institute Track may quickly earn up to 150 credits toward their Associate Cruise Counselor (ACC) or Master Cruise Counselor (MCC) certification.

Mike King, co-owner, Travel Leaders (www.fredericksburgva.vacation.travel leaders.com), Fredericksburg,VA, credited the 2012 conference for helping him more quickly achieve his MCC certification. “The ship inspections made the classroom knowledge come

cesco Vago, executive chairman, MSC Cruises. Duffy’s own keynote address, “From the Helm,” will give agents insight into her vision about the cruise industry, CLIA’s globalization, industry trends and the invaluable role travel advisors play and contribute to the cruise industry’s success.

“I’m looking forward to the general sessions, to hear from various industry leaders, and to get a glimpse of the industry from their perspective,” says Christopher Lingren, franchise owner, Cruise Planners-American Express Travel

(www.neverlandadventurescruises. com), Noblesville, IN. Also, “I’m very excited to say that once I complete

26 | TravelAgent | www.travelagentcentral.com | MARCH 24, 2014

cruise3sixty this time, I will have completed the MCC requirements within 15 months of starting the program.

I cannot wait to get there and work through the classes, and complete the last two remaining ship inspections that I need.”

Industry Evolution Agents say it’s critical they stay current, given the wild ride in the travel industry over the past decade. Advisors have weathered everything from a challenging recession to a social media revolution. Ships and brands have also changed sizably. “Personally, I find the event extremely valuable as everyone needs a once-a-year refresher on the industry,” noted Drew Daly, vice president of sales and performance, CruiseOne (www.cruiseonefranchise.com) and Cruises Inc. (www.sellcruises.com).

“I always walk away from each session with some new tidbit that I can apply in the business.”

Just how much has the cruise marketplace changed in a decade? When introduced in 2003, Cunard’s (www. cunard.com) 150,000-ton Queen Mary 2 was the world’s largest ship. Today, Royal Caribbean International’s (www. cruisingpower.com) 225,000+ ton Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are the giants of the seas. In fact, many 1,800-passenger ships are now considered mid-sized, while just a decade ago they were categorized as large.

With the advent of mega-ships, designers also have focused on spreading guests out more evenly throughout the ships by creating such innovative spaces as Boardwalk and Central Park on the Oasis-class ships. CLIA member line ships boast bowling alleys, skating rinks, zip lines, virtual simulators, water slides, art studios, ice bars and shops galore.

Many agents cite the 2001 launch of Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Cruise Line’s first purpose-built “Freestyle Cruising” vessel, as a game changer; today’s newest Freestyle ship, the Norwegian Getaway, boasts 28 different dining experiences, some along The Waterfront, an outdoor al fresco dining and strolling area.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

COVER STORY

In the past decade, luxury cruising has soared in demand. Pictured: Silver Spirit, Silversea’s largest ship.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26

Scott Koepf, vice president of sales, Avoya Travel (www. avoyatravel.com) believes “the number one development [in the past decade] is the continued growth and extraordinary diversity of the product available within the cruise industry.” From Friedman’s perspective, the ships are now destinations unto themselves: “The new ships have a much wider range of stateroom choices, offer a wide range of cruise duration options, and they travel to more exotic destinations, making these ships a more complex product to sell. Qualifying the customer is more important than ever before.”

Alternative dining concepts vary sizably by line, but diversity and flexibility rule. MSC Divina (www.msccruisesusa.com) has the trendy Eataly, Crystal Cruises (www. crystalcruises.com) has upscale Nobu venues, Holland America Line (www. hollandamerica.com) offers a restaurant with Pacific Northwest cuisine, Disney Cruise Line (www.disneytravelagents. com) has the adults-only Palo and Remy restaurants, and Carnival Cruise Lines (www.goccl.com) has a steakhouse. Many agents say it’s hard to remember when Celebrity Cruises (www.cruisingpower.com) didn’t sail with Solstice-class ships, which boast such dining venues as Blu for AquaClass guests and, based on availability, suite guests. At the quirky Qsine, guests read the menu on iPads. And the list goes on.

A new CLIA “Eat, Drink & Cruise” course offered at cruise3sixty will show agents how to tap into culinary offerings—from themed cruises to onboard cooking demonstrations and celebrity chef restaurants. Lucinda Belden, franchise owner, CruiseOne (www.lbelden. cruiseone.com) in Carrollton, TX, told Travel Agent: “I’m most looking forward to the coursework on food tourism as this is my niche.”

In the past decade, luxury cruising

has soared in demand. Products have become more inclusive. Luxury ships have also evolved. In 2005, Seabourn Cruise Line (www.seabourn.com) operated the small-ship Seabourn Legend, Seabourn Pride, and Seabourn Spirit.

This year and next, they’re shifting to new owner Windstar Cruises, while Seabourn operates four larger, newer Odyssey-class ships, with an even larger new ship on order. Silversea Cruises (www.silversea.com) launched its largest vessel, the 540-passenger Silver Spirit in 2010, plus has added several intimate expedition ships. Regent Seven Seas Cruises (www.rssc.com) has a new 738-passenger ship on order. Agents headed to cruise3sixty can learn more during a new CLIA course, “The New Face of Luxury Cruising - New Luxury Clients, New Luxury Ships.”

Another decade-long trend? “Upper premium” took off in 2003 when the new Oceania Cruises (www.oceania cruises.com) began sailing with the 684-passenger Regatta. Today, Oceania has five ships serving 4552 passengers.

Upper premium competitor Azamara Club Cruises (www.azamaraclubcruises. com) launched in 2007 and operates two ships on global itineraries.

28 | TravelAgent | www.travelagentcentral.com | MARCH 24, 2014

One of the hottest trends is soaring consumer demand for river cruises. In 2003, CLIA member line AmaWaterways (www.amawaterways.com) sailed (under the Amadeus Waterways name initially) with just one 148-berth vessel.

Fast forward to 2015, when AmaWaterways will operate 20 ships with 2,836 berths.

No longer a vacation appealing solely to elderly, massmarket clients, the latest river vessels are amenity-laden with upscale dining, active options, customizable arrangements, balcony cabins and suites.

Some even have butlers.

Strong growth is also evident at CLIA’s other North American member river lines including American Cruise Lines (www.americancruise lines.com), Avalon Waterways (www. avalonwaterways.com), Tauck (www. tauck.com) and the Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection (www.uni world.com), and one regional CLIA member, Viking River Cruises (www. vikingcruises.com). “This style of cruising is very attractive to consumers who have traditionally taken land vacations,” Friedman says, noting that agents will find river products very profitable to sell.

Niche cruising, with such products as Hurtigruten (www.hurtigruten.us), has also blossomed. As river, small-ship, luxury and niche lines desired to differentiate themselves from larger, oceangoing mass-market lines, CLIA responded by launching the Specialty Cruise Collection in 2012. This year’s conference will have two Specialty Cruise Collection Showcases, in addition to CLIA Brand Showcases that feature more traditional oceangoing lines.

Other 2014 trends, according to CLIA, are improved technology and connectivity at sea, more all-inclusive packages, and an increase in multigenerational travel. The organization also says first-time passenger growth is CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

being driven by the 95 million “Millennials,” many of whom have had positive experiences in cruising with their parents.

As the global fleet grows, voyages have become more eclectic. This year 37 percent of CLIA line capacity is positioned in the Caribbean/Bahamas, 19 percent in the Mediterranean, 11 percent elsewhere in Europe, 6 percent in Australia/New Zealand/Pacific, 5 percent in Alaska, 3 percent in South America, 4 percent in Asia, and 15 percent from other destinations.

Assisting Travel Advisors Today’s cruise agents recommend which category accommodations are best for clients, evaluate ship-within-a-ship options, book shore excursions and spa treatments, handle arrangements for preand post-cruise stays, find specialized cruises and make customized arrangements. CLIA’s new course, “Where to Find It – Must-have Resources and Apps,” will help agents find the right information to fit the client’s situation.

“When cruise3sixty launched 10 years ago, e-mail was the only major form of online communications,”

Eataly Steakhouse, MSC Divina is emblematic of the trend toward alternative dining concepts.

Fee says. “Today, the world has been taken over by social media.” Catherine Heeg, a tourism, travel and hospitality industry expert, will teach two new social media and technology courses at cruise3sixty; they are “Facebook 2014 –What You Need to Know Now” and “Get Your Geek On! – Emerging and Evolving Social Media You Need to Know About.” The latter explores social platforms, tools for video applications, microsites and blogging, and updates for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+.

With the rise of social media, “consumer reporters” are onsite when a wave breaks a ship’s window or a customer issue develops. Quick, fact-based responses by cruise lines and travel agents

Updated Regional Training CLIA HAS ALSO REVAMPED its cruisExcellence 2.0 regional training program. A new, one-day Saturday program will be conducted in 11 cities through October. The fast-paced format offers new content in one-hour seminars. Also included are virtual ship inspections plus new training segments.

For example, in some cities a 90-minute Alaska Expert session is conducted by Visit Anchorage; agents learn about ever ything from day cruises to flightseeing and lodging choices. One agent’s name will be drawn in each city during the training to receive a free Alaska familiarization visit, including air, during August.

The first cruisExcellence 2.0 programs were conducted earlier this year in San Pedro, CA; Los Angeles, CA; and Houston, TX. Upcoming programs will be held in these cities: Washington, D.C/Arlington, VA, April 26; Seattle, WA, May 10; Detroit, MI, May 31; Las Vegas, NV, June 14; Atlanta, GA, July 19; Toronto, Ontario, Canada, August 16; Orlando, FL, August 23; Denver, CO, on October 4; and New York City/East Rutherford, NJ, October 5.

For more on CLIA’s cruisExcellence 2.0 or cruise3sixty, visit www.cruising.org.

are important, both for balanced news and future sales. “Handling and dealing with consumer media—from both a positive and negative implication on the cruise industry—would be the second development,” Koepf cites about changes of the past decade. “Be Your Own Paparazzi,” another new CLIA training course, explains how public relations has changed and provides tips for agents.

The past decade also has revealed the value of partners. “I’d be remiss not to include the growth of the importance of host agencies,” says Fee. “In an online driven marketplace, it’s tough to go it alone today, and host agencies make it possible for smaller players to compete.”

In addition, 61 percent of travel agents participating in CLIA’s recent Travel Agency Survey listed “a home port” as a major motivator to take a cruise. “The ability to attract the drive market, along with the attractive price points, has brought many first time cruisers into the market,” Friedman says.

To assist agents in explaining how to cruise, be personal with clients and show passion for the business, CLIA will offer these new courses: “What’s My Line? Connecting Clients to Cruising in One Sentence”; “Put the Person Back in Personal Selling – They’re People, Not Apps”; and “Sell Your Passion” (focusing on niche markets).

Separately, CLIA has also developed a workshop series for cruise3sixty with such courses as “Selling to Win! - Lessons from the Sales Coach”; “The New National Cruise Vacation Week - Cruise Events that Grow Sales”; and “Reinvent your Travel Agency in One Hour.”

More than 77 percent of travel agents surveyed by CLIA cited the CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

30 | TravelAgent | www.travelagentcentral.com | MARCH 24, 2014

COVER STORY

Drew Daly, VP of sales, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.: “I always walk away from each session [at cruise3sixty] with some new tidbit that I can apply in the business.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30

destination or itinerary as a major consumer motivator for booking. “I’m especially looking forward to learning more about destinations in Europe and Asia,” says Eric Sternberg, franchise owner, Cruise Planners-American Express Travel (www.cpwinecountry. com), Napa, CA. Cruise3sixty will have 50-minute workshops that highlight global destinations, hotel products, agent services, and cruise and industry products—everything from Hawaii to Cruise Baltic, from the Dominican Republic to France and Alaska. Carnival will put on a workshop about “Hook ‘em and Book ‘em – How to Throw a First-Time Cruise Party.”

Continuing Globalization CLIA was primarily North Americafocused in 2005. Other cruise groups represented lines in Europe, Australia and elsewhere. But Costa Concordia, norovirus, safety, and operational issues have demonstrated a need for “one voice” in tackling challenging industry issues and talking to government and regulatory agencies across borders.

The CLIA Global umbrella now includes (with previous names in parentheses): CLIA North America (CLIA); CLIA North West & Canada (North West and Canada Cruise Association); CLIA Alaska (Alaska Cruise Association); CLIA ABREMAR-Brazil (ABREMAR); CLIA Europe (European Cruise Council); CLIA UK & Ireland (Passenger Shipping Association); CLIA France (AFCC); CLIA Netherlands (DCC); CLIA Belgium & Luxembourg (Cruise & Ferry World); CLIA Asia (Asia Cruise Association); and CLIA Australasia (International Cruise Council Australasia). In addition, these groups are newly established CLIA national chapters: CLIA Germany, CLIA Italy and CLIA Spain.

This week, Bud Darr, CLIA’s senior vice president for global, technical and regulatory affairs, heads to Washington D.C. to testify at a cruise ship safety forum initiated by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

CLIA member line experts and officials from the International Maritime

Organization and The Bahamas also are expected to participate.

On the trade side, Duffy just returned from the first cruise3sixty Australasia in Sydney, speaking to a sell-out crowd of 400 agents. Australia/New Zealand sourcing for cruises is up 130 percent from five years ago. Duffy also recently delivered a keynote address at ITB Berlin; German passenger sourcing is up nearly 81 percent from five years ago, CLIA says.

CLIA UK & Ireland plan to host another river cruise convention in Europe, something the group has done since 2011. “There are surprises in store that agents won’t want to miss, from the much-anticipated new location [yet to be announced] to the exciting selection of ships,” says Duffy. “The 2014 River Cruise Convention is expected to be in November, and we anticipate another year of record-breaking attendance as more and more agents and consumers are interested in river cruises.”

The USA remains CLIA’s top market for cruise sourcing—with nearly 52 percent of global passengers. Travel Agent asked Duffy about any potential for having two North American cruise3sixty conferences annually— one each on the West and East Coast?

While it’s been discussed, she says Australian agents who came to the past Vancouver conferences likely won’t make the journey in the future, given their own Australasia conference. She also noted that CLIA has revamped its cruisExcellence 2.0 regional training.

32 | TravelAgent | www.travelagentcentral.com | MARCH 24, 2014

(See sidebar on page 30).

In other news, Dwain Wall, former senior vice president and general manager, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., is CLIA’s new senior vice president of agency and trade relations. Michael Sinn, owner, Cruise Planners-American Express Travel, Las Vegas, NV, described Wall as a “great fit.” He’ll be highly visible at cruise3sixty.

From Koepf ’s perspective, “cruise3sixty has always provided topical content based on the ever-changing industry, including promoting the value of host travel agencies as well as technology updates and the newest approaches to marketing.” Keep the content relevant to front-line sellers coming, though, he stressed, noting that’s “always an opportunity that will provide great benefits.”

Friedman praised CLIA’s good mix of hard and soft skills training as well as technology training, but she’d like to see more successful cruise agents in break-out training classes and general session panels. Daly says CLIA’s structured educational curriculum definitely helps agents achieve the knowledge they need to be successful in selling cruises; he encourages his agents to invest the time needed to become certified as an MCC. “The organization continues to be on trend,” from Fee’s perspective.

“There is a lot of choice in what they present, which allows an attendee to select the path to what will bring them the most success.” Already an MCC, Belden will use cruise3sixty to get a jump start on her Elite Cruise Counselor (ECC) certification and to “reconnect” with suppliers and other agents. “When you work alone in a home office, [reconnecting] is most important to me to be able to share and exchange information and bounce ideas off other agents,” Belden noted.

As for CLIA itself, “the steadiness of the number of people who attend cruise3sixty every year speaks to the ongoing interest and support of travel agents, the agency community and cruise lines,” stressed Duffy. “It’s stood the test of time.”

CLIA global 'Cruise Week' to succeed National Cruise Vacation Week April 11, 2014 In one of the key announcements at its cruise3sixty conference and trade show, Cruise Lines International Association plans a new 'CLIA Cruise Week' to go global this year.

Formerly National Cruise Vacation Week, which for several years has been held in the US and Canada, the new promotion will extend beyond North America to the UK Ireland and Australasia. In North America, CLIA Cruise Week will be held Oct. 6-13, and will include enhanced features, offers and tools, including 'How-to' and Specialty Cruise Collection guides, the association said.

CLIA announced the plans during its 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference and trade show, which registered 1,800 international delegates during the first week of April in Fort Lauderdale.

Attendees hailed from across the US, as well as Canada, Australia, Germany, Cayman Islands, Netherlands Antilles, Brazil, New Zealand, Kenya, Nigeria, China, British Virgin Islands and Malaysia.

Travel agents toured a record 24 cruise ships and participated in more than 50 product and destination seminars. Sixteen CLIA training and professional development seminars were held, including 10 new seminars. In all, agents were able to earn up to 150 credits toward CLIA Certification.

In a surprise appearance, Gavin MacLeod, Capt. Merrill Stubing from 'The Love Boat,' gave away 12 of the more than 40 cruises awarded to agents during the conference.

CLIA president and ceo Christine Duffy opened the general session by recapping cruising's 'incredible 66% passenger growth since the first cruise3sixty a decade ago' and said cruises continue to achieve guest satisfaction rates that are among the highest in the travel industry, while lines continue to launch 'dynamic and spectacular ships.'

Dwain Wall, CLIA's svp agency and trade relations, announced a new CLIA website and enhanced education curriculum. The association, he said, plans new new resources and benefits for agent members, based on agent and agency owners’ feedback.

A panel discussion with the Big Four cruise company chief executives included Arnold Donald, president and ceo of Carnival Corp. & plc, who said agents and brands must screen prospective first-time cruisers, communicate the value of cruising and connect people to the right brand. 'We are the greatest value there is, but new people don’t know that,' he said.

Kevin Sheehan, president and ceo of Norwegian Cruise Line, added that agents must understand the markets, the shore excursions, what makes each ship different and tell the story with passion.

Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises, credited the partnership with travel agents as helping the Italian line succeed in North America.

Richard Fain, chairman and ceo of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., said Innovation can help dispel misperceptions about cruising. 'How do you believe these old myths when you see surfing on a ship?' he said.

Increasing sales was the theme at another cruise3sixty general session. Dwain Wall led two panels with cruise line sales leaders. 'Create a Gold Rush—Prospecting and Finding Your Next Cruise Customer' focused on new opportunities, tips and techniques to prospect for new customers.

The panel included Kristian Anderson, svp and general manager, North America, Silversea Cruises; Dan Chappelle, vp sales, Windstar Cruises; Vicki Freed, svp sales, trade support and service, Royal Caribbean International; Kristin Karst, evp and co-owner, AmaWaterways; Ken Muskat, evp sales, marketing, public relations and guest services, MSC Cruises; and Vicki Tomasino, vp community and trade relations, Carnival Cruise Lines.

Wall’s second panel of the day was 'The Art of the Upsell and Closing the Sale.' Speakers were Jeff Clarke, vp sales, trade support & APAC, Celebrity Cruises; Rolf Logan, sales director, the Americas, Hurtigruten; Brian O’Connor, vp sales, North America, Princess Cruises and Cunard Line; Camille Olivere, svp sales, Americas, Norwegian Cruise Line; Edie Rodgriguez, president and coo, Crystal Cruises; and Susan Schultz, director of sales, American Cruise Line and Pearl Seas Cruises.

Cruise3sixty social functions included a welcome reception at the Westin Diplomat and the CLIA Hall of Fame gala dinner with inductions of industry leaders Howard Frank, former vice chairman and coo, Carnival Corp. & plc and current Costa chairman; Uf Tukel and Don Walker, co-presidents and founders, WMPH Vacations, and Brad and Jeff Tolkin, co-chairmen and ceos, World Travel Holdings. CLIA Hall of Fame entertainment was provided by Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises.

American Express was cruise3sixty 2014’s presenting sponsor, as it has been since the inaugural conference in 2005. Other leading sponsors included Amadeus, Port Everglades and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau.

2015's cruise3sixty, to be held again in Fort Lauderdale, is scheduled for April 22-26.

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/clia-global-cruise-week-to-succeed-nationalcruise-vacation-week.html?nspPage=1

Planning the Perfect Cruise Party April 8, 2014 Among the many valuable workshops at CLIA’s Cruise3sixty conference in Fort Lauderdale was one from Carnival Cruise Lines given the catchy name “Hook ’Em and Book ’Em.” The subject was how to organize a cruise party for first-time cruisers, and it played to a packed room of over 100 agents, with more than a dozen standing for the 50-minute presentation.

The most important takeaway might be that this isn’t rocket science. If you’ve ever hosted a party for friends and family, a business-related event is only a few steps more work.

There should be nametags, for example, said Frank Robleto, Carnival’s business development manager for Miami and Puerto Rico. “Acknowledge them by name,” he said. “That goes a long way towards building a relationship.”

Even if you don’t get a booking right away out of your party, making that contact and nurturing it will pay off eventually.

“Grow your lead tree,” advised Jason Douglas, Carnival’s business development manager for Broward, Palm Beach and the Caribbean. “Get as many clients as possible. You’re not going to make a sale every time.”

Douglas said the last four parties he helped agents in his territory to organize led to on-site bookings of six, eight, zero and 18 cabins.

The 18 cabins were only some of the 55 cabins booked over the course of four hours for multiple brands at Away Travel/Transat Holidays USA, which specializes in serving the French-Canadian demographic in South Florida.

Six agents equipped with laptops were stationed around the room to make sure anyone who had been hooked was booked.

Another takeaway was that agents shouldn’t break the bank to put on a party. Alicia Steuart, director of homebased partnerships at Carnival, suggested a $100 budget, enough for some wine and cheese and a few colorcoordinated decorative items.

A little music enlivens the party and acts as a mnemonic device, reminding the guest of you when they hear the tune in another setting.

Finally, ask for the sale. “Because if you don’t, somebody else will,” said Douglas. “You have to ask for the business.

Be pushy. The worst thing they can tell you is no.”

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Insights/Planning-the-perfect-cruise-party/?a=cruise&cid=eltrcruise

The Travel Professional View: Live from CLIA April 7, 2014

The cruise industry really is the happiness industry and the industry of fulfilling dreams The sounds of Pharrell Williams’ hit “Happy” echoed through the halls of the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, serving as the perfect anthem for this years’ CLIA cruise3sixty Because, as speaker after speaker demonstrated during the opening general session, there’s a lot to be happy about in the cruise industry.

Christine Duffy, President and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association, said the number of cruise passengers has increased 66% since 2005, from 13 million to more than 21 million. This year, the number of passengers is forecast to reach 21.7 million, which is about the population of Australia.

That’s a lot of potential customers for your travel business.

As the CEOs of four major cruise lines — Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and MSC — pointed out during a panel discussion, travel professionals continue to play a vital role in the health of the cruise industry. Kevin Sheehan, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, summed it up by saying, “Travel agents are the lifeblood of our success and it will never be any different.”

The travel professional plays the vital role of matching a customer with the right cruise experience, Carnival CEO Arnold Donald said.

With the addition of new ships, new destinations and new activities (both on and off the ship), the CEOs pointed out the time is right to begin to grow the number of people who choose cruising for their

vacations and business meetings, particularly the 95 million plus millennials who largely have not yet discovered cruising.

Reaching new customers is not always easy, and that’s why it helps to have the right tools, such as ClientBase and Sabre Cruises. If you’re attending cruise3sixty, stop by our tradeshow booth to see these tools in action.

The cruise industry really is the happiness industry and the industry of fulfilling dreams. Gavin MacLeod, the iconic Captain Stubing from the TV series “Love Boat,” shared a story about a conversation he had with an employee of his local dry cleaners right after the show was cancelled in 1986. She told him he needed to get the show put back on the air because it gave her “something to dream about.”

“You are helping people realize their dreams,” MacLeod told the 2,000 travel professionals in the audience. “This cruise industry is wonderful for what it does for people.”

Keynote speaker and happiness expert Kathleen Passanisi pointed out that only one-third of Americans say they feel happy — that sounds like there’s a lot of people who need to go on a cruise.

http://www.sabretravelnetwork.com/blog/the-travel-professional-view-live-from-clia/

At cruise3sixty, CLIA Executives Discuss the Future and Member Benefits April 7, 2014

More than 21.7 million people will cruise on Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) member lines in 2014, nearly the entire size of the population of Australia, Christine Duffy, president and CEO, CLIA, told approximately 2,000 agents attending the General Session at cruise3sixty on Friday.

Duffy celebrated CLIA’s 10th anniversary cruise3sixty by telling agents that when the conference began in 2005, CLIA member lines carried just 13 million passengers. In the past decade the number of guests who’ve sailed has grown 66 percent.

“Today, with offices and resources around the world, CLIA is a global association, made up of 13,500 travel agency members, over 60 cruise line members and more than 250 executive partners representing port authorities, destinations, maritime and industry suppliers,” Duffy said. “My message to you is that you should be excited, optimistic and happy about the future of the cruise industry.”

She also emphasized that the industry now has 410 ships with 467,000 berths but at the end of 2015, it will have added 24 more new ships and top the 500,000 berth figure for the first time.

Duffy thanked agents for making CLIA the world’s largest travel agency association, and said the organization will evolve to meet agents’ future needs. As part of that commitment, she cited the appointment of Dwain Wall, the line’s new senior vice president, agency and trade relations.

Wall explained that his top priority moving forward is to ramp up the “CLIA travel agent value proposition.” He said that CLIA recently added a few things to the list of benefits offered agency members including a new Web site, advanced and online training, a new specialty sales guide and “the new National Cruise Vacation Week, or as we now call it, CLIA Cruise Week,” which will take place in North America on Oct. 6-13.

“The program will be global this year for the first time,” Wall stressed. Promotion will take place not only in North America, but also in Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and Ireland. “We will expand this to other countries in future years,” he added.

In ramping up the value proposition for agents, Wall said that over the past few months CLIA performed extensive market research that included front-line agent interviews, feedback from consortia and host executives and the perspective of current and former CLIA members.

Results? He said that CLIA learned the certification programs are critical to how agents are perceived by clients. “I tell my clients I have a master’s in cruising,” one agent told the researchers. “They know they can trust me.”

In the coming year, CLIA will develop tools that imbed more effectively into the agent’s daily workday, said Wall. “We will be ramping up our discount and benefit programs with new, easier to use and easier to access benefit books, better online promotions and unique programs available only to CLIA members.”

CLIA also plans to give "member only" preferential access to familiarization trips, seminars at sea as well as personal and exclusive invitations to inaugurals – CLIA members only,” said Wall. “Ultimately, the more active CLIA member you are, the more benefits you will now be able to see and redeem.”

He also said more promotion will be done to showcase CLIA member travel agents, especially during CLIA Cruise Week. In the future, CLIA will add this call-to-action to its messaging: “For more information, contact your CLIA travel professional.”

Also talking to agents at the first General Session were Carlos Molinet, senior vice president, Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Steve Cernak, chief executive and port director, Port Everglades.

Cernak said the port is spending $56 million to upgrade four major cruise terminals; this month it begins renovation of Terminal 4.

Ranking in the top three ports worldwide for ships and passengers served, Port Everglades will also welcome the new Regal Princess, which Cernak said will be named at Port Everglades on November 5.

Also coming in 2015 is Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas.

“We like to think of Port Everglades as ‘cruise easy,’ said Cernak, noting that his group has a goal of moving guests from the curb to the ship in 15 minutes or less. “We know that travel is difficult and we want to eliminate any undue stress to get our cruise visitors off on the right start to their cruise vacation.”

More than 13 million visitors come annually to enjoy Greater Fort Lauderdale, said Molinet. He noted that a multi-million-dollar terminal renovation and runway expansion program is under way at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL).

“While it’s a little messy right now, the airport is being completely modernized,” he said. Copa Airlines and Norwegian Air are two of the new international airlines that have recently started service to FLL. He added that JetBlue’s goal is to shortly have 100 flights a day into Greater Fort Lauderdale from all over the country.

New hotels? The new $147 million, 349-room Margaritaville Resort, a Jimmy Buffett themed property, is under construction on Hollywood Beach and is slated to open in late summer 2015. A new 290-room, 24-story Conrad Hilton also will open in Broward County in 2015.

http://www.travelagentcentral.com/running-your-business/cruise3sixty-clia-executives-discuss-futureand-member-benefits45443?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=susan_young&utm_content=crui se3sixty-clia-executives-discuss-future-and-member-benefits45443&spMailingID=20597476&spUserID=MTg4NDQyOTcyOTcS1&spJobID=300369109&spReportId=Mz AwMzY5MTA5S0

cruise3sixty: Cruise Execs Discuss Opportunities, Challenges and the Role of Agents April 7, 2014

Getting new North American cruisers onto the gangways of ships remains a big industry challenge, four top cruise executives told travel agents attending the 10th annual Cruise Lines International Association's (CLIA) cruise3sixty conference at Port Everglades, FL, on Friday.

Putting it bluntly was Kevin Sheehan, CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line, who said cruising’s penetration of the U.S. market has not really moved the way it should: “It’s incumbent on us as leaders of the industry to figure it out. We’ve had no growth in pricing in this industry for a long time…It’s critical that we are on the leading edge, not the bleeding edge. If we have another 10 years and [the needle] doesn’t move, then the team up here has failed.”

Also addressing the new cruiser challenge were Arnold Donald, president and CEO, Carnival Corporation.; Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises. Christine Duffy, CLIA's president and CEO, moderated that session.

Getting New Recruits “In terms of new recruits – clearly that’s what we all need as an industry,” Donald said. He said everyone fills their ships every year and there isn’t more industry growth because the lines are capacity restrained and can only fill berths available.

But Donald also stressed that cruising “is the greatest value there is in vacation travel but most people

don’t know that. He said the new-to-cruising people “have all types of misperceptions about our industry and about cruising,” such as being afraid of water, being on a ship with 3,000 others or being regimented in activities.

“The idea here is to get the right people on the right brand,” Donald stressed, noting that the industry collectively can promote that diversity, the safety aspects, and cruising as a “happy joyful vacation.”

Using guests for testimonials and having travel agents screen prospective guests to be sure they go on the right brand are important, he said.

“When they go on the wrong brand, [they’ll return saying] ‘well cruising is okay,’ and that doesn’t help us, or ‘I had a terrible time’ and that really doesn’t help us,” said Arnold. “We have to really understand our guests, because that’s our future.”

The agents helping clients pick the right cruise, according to Sheehan is “marrying that right relationship and if it is right, it becomes a lifelong situation. He said agents are invaluable when they understand the markets, all aspects of the shipboard and shoreside cruise experience and all the things that make each line different.

Sheehan also said agents also must have passion for the industry and “successful travel agents are not afraid of the technology change” happening rapidly across the globe.

Agents and Customers Do the lines still need agents and will they in the future? That’s a given said Sheehan: “It will never be different…It’s just loud and clear to me.”

Fain stressed that the key to the industry's future -- from both the cruise line and travel agent perspective -- was really understanding the experience of what customers want: “They will give us the answers for what they really want so you’re not leading them to a place where they wouldn’t go.”

“We need to wow guests every time,” said Donald. “That’s our collective task and that’s why we can be chummy up here, because rising tides lift all boats. I want these guys’ ships filled and I want them filled early and they want the same for me.”

Otherwise, he said the lines incentivizing potential guests to travel. “And that’s why you end up with lower commission, and we don’t end up with the rate [we need],” emphasized Donald.

As the new kid on the block and a fast growing line, Vago said MSC Cruises, which is a Mediterranean brand expanding into North America, definitely needs agents who “can pass on a message about what a brand is all about.” He stressed that he flew a long way “just to meet you guys,” with the audience clapping at that comment.

The Role of Innovation Innovation is the key to getting new guests onboard, stressed Fain who said it's primarily to give guests a better time but also to help erase those old myths about cruising.

But it’s a team effort, he said: “It’s just not the cruise lines but also the travel agents who have had to innovate. You’ve all changed and we’ve had to change as well…We’re innovating as an industry.”

Fain cited the addition of rock climbing walls, onboard surfing and rope courses as innovations but “also, part of that…is to help convey what cruising is,” as only a small percentage of guests actually do the activities, he acknowledged. Fain quipped that he personally had never personally made it to the top of rock climbing wall, but he wanted the agents to know he’d tried.

New types of entertainment such as Blue Many Group and Rock of Ages are also helping innovate and deliver new cruisers. “To just get that halo effect, all of us are doing different things to try and get consumers to see and say ‘oh, that’s interesting,’” Sheehan said. It’s important for travel agents to communicate those changes to entice first timers.

Has the ship itself become “the destination”? The executives' opinions varied. Vago said yes and he'd come to North America to “show our commitment to the growth of our brand.” He said agents will be excited by the line’s new prototype ship just announced, as “it’s the iPhone of the prototypes for cruising.”

Fain doesn’t really concur with the philosophy that the ship is the destination. Destinations still matter immensely he believes: "What’s so special and amazing about cruising is...we bring them to wonderful places and we do that in a wonderful way.”

Looking to the Future When asked about the potential for growth in Asia, the officials said the opportunities are great but it's important to proceed slowly as the market has both rewards and risks. Challenges include populations

that know nothing about cruising and the need to deal with many governments and to learn their regulations/processes.

Donald said that moving forward cruise lines must do a better job in educating the news media. For example, norovirus is now called "the cruise virus," he said, despite that fact that annually 6 percent of people on land get it, while only .007 percent of cruisers do.

Most people bring the virus onboard a ship from a restaurant or other public facility, he said, bemoaning that lines must report it unlike hotels and other industry segments.

Overall, though, Donald and other executives were bullish on the industry’s future. Delivering a bit of humor, Donald said that in 10 years, he envisioned that the newest additions to the Carnival Corp. fleet would be the Carnival Airship and the Princess Constellation, with hyper-warp drive propulsion and zero emissions. That created a stir of chuckles from the trade audience.

Fain, in discussing his years in the business said: “What other industry could you be in and be as excited as you were 25 years ago? That’s where I am.”

http://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/cruise3sixty-cruise-execs-discuss-opportunities-challengesand-role-agents45445?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=susan_young&utm_content=crui se3sixty-cruise-execs-discuss-opportunities-challenges-and-role-agents45445&spMailingID=20601238&spUserID=MTg4NDQyOTcyOTcS1&spJobID=300422482&spReportId=Mz AwNDIyNDgyS0

Low Prices, Need for New Markets are Holding Cruise Lines Back April 07, 2014 The cruise industry’s inability to price its product realistically and to penetrate new markets amounts to a serious failure and is bad news for cruise lines and travel agents alike.

That was the message cruise executives drove home during the opening session of the 10th annual Cruise3sixty conference here.

Low pricing is holding back the cruise industry, with too much value offered to cruisers at reduced rates, said several executives.

“We have to get better value for the great value we give cruisers,” said Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corp.

“The reality is that our prices have to be more reflective of the value we deliver. The only way that happens is to understand guests so we wow them every time.”

The right stuff The cruise lines are not attracting the right vacationers from the right markets although more people than ever are cruising, the executives said.

Cruise lines need to penetrate deeper into valuable markets, said Kevin Sheehan, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line.

“The [market] penetration has really not moved to where it should have,” Sheehan said. “We have not had real pricing power in this industry for quite a long time, and that is not a good thing for us – or for commissions and your paychecks.

“If we have another 10 years in which the [market] penetration doesn’t move, the guys up here have failed,” said Sheehan, gesturing to the other executives on stage.

New-to-cruise Bringing first-time cruisers into the fold is critical to attracting new markets, the executives said.

“New-to-cruise is clearly what we need as an industry,” said Donald. “We are capacity-constrained, but we are the greatest value there is in vacation travel.”

Agents’ key role Travel agents are a key part of attracting those new cruisers, the executives added.

“The agent is paramount for us,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, CEO of MSC Cruises. The line announced a new agent loyalty program along with increased North American sales staff earlier in the day.

“The trade has been the link for the repeater and the newcomer to understand what our brand stands for,” he added.

Vago also hinted that MSC plans to unveil a prototype for a new ship. He called its upcoming new vessel, “the iPhone of prototypes.”

New resources CLIA too discussed its commitment to agents which includes an unprecedented expansion of agent resources.

“CLIA has decided to wrap our arms around the way we can do things for you and on your behalf,” said Dwain Wall, CLIA’s senior vice president of agency and trade relations.

The association is considering giving member-agents preferential access to fams, more seminars at sea and more invitations to inaugurals, according to Wall.

A new agent-facing website, special cruise guide and more focused training modules are already available online.

Going global Wall also announced the rebranding of National Cruise Vacation Week to CLIA Cruise Week. The event is set for Oct. 6 to 13.

And for the first time CLIA will go global with its annual sales push, with offers being extended in Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

Christine Duffy, CLIA president and CEO, said the group is forecasting that 21.7 million people will cruise in 2014.

“The global population of cruisers is now nearly the size of the entire population of Australia,” said Duffy.

Cruise line capacity will, for the first time, surpass 500,000 staterooms in 2015, she added.

http://www.travelmarketreport.com/content/publiccontent.aspx?pageid=1365&articleID=10783

Cruise3sixty: What You Missed April 7, 2014

Cruise3sixty, the travel agent conference sponsored by the Cruise Lines International Association, closed th

its 10 annual gathering in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday. The 2015 show is scheduled for April 22-26 at the Fort Lauderdale Convention Center at Port Everglades.

The show also generates news from cruise lines, CLIA and executives who share their thoughts during panel discussions. Here are a few newsy tidbits from the conference.

Where is your next client coming from? A panel discussion during Saturday’s general session featured top sales executives discussing how to prospect and find new cruise clients. The fact is, they’re everywhere, because only about 4 percent of Americans have ever taken a cruise.

“Just keep talking about how you make people’s dreams come true,” recommended Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales, trade support and services, at Royal Caribbean International.

You might think cruise first-timers start off on contemporary cruise ships, but Kristian Anderson, senior vice president-sales and general manager-North America for Silversea Cruises, said the percentage of Silversea guests that are new to cruising is 16 percent. What’s more, 48 percent of Silversea guests return to sail again.

Anderson earned laughter and applause at this comment about travelers who pack and unpack on land tours: “I don’t understand that concept. We have butlers to do that for you.”

Kristin Karst, executive vice president at AmaWaterways, said her river cruise ships are like “floating boutique hotels” that attract ocean cruisers in search of a more intimate environment and value (shore tours are included as is Internet access). And, she added, no one gets seasick. “A river cruise is on the bucket list of your clients,” Karst said.

Vicki Tomasino, regional vice president-community and trade relations for Carnival Cruise Lines, said the Fun Ship line attracts multi-generational families. Position cruises as a sampler of several Caribbean islands, she suggested.

Dan Chappelle, vice president of sales for Windstar Cruises, said his clientele tends to be experienced travelers age 45-55, professionals who like active adventures and to vacation with friends. “Mine your database,” he recommended.

Ken Muskat, executive vice president-sales, marketing, public relations and guest services for MSC Cruises, also urged agents to leverage their databases and ask cruisers to ask friends and families to sail with them. “They act as your biggest advocates,” he said. Muskat also suggested agents consider MSC to stand for Mediterranean Style Cruising. It really stands for parent company Mediterranean Shipping Company, but Mediterranean Style Cruising accurately describes the product and will be understood by consumers.

Provide top-notch service: In a panel on upselling and closing the sale, Jeff Clarke, vice president of sales and trade support for Celebrity Cruises, had a sobering statistic: About two-thirds of guests who book Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. brands switch to another travel agent to reserve their next cruise.

“Customers are not loyal. They will leave you,” he said. Clarke said “constant communication” can help keep them in your fold, along with birthday and anniversary greetings and other considerate messages. In another panel, Dwain Wall, CLIA’s new senior vice president-agency and trade relations, recommended sending hand-written notes to clients. They really stand out in this age of emails and texts.

Hall of Fame Inductees: On Saturday night, five new members were inducted into the CLIA Hall of Fame during a gala dinner with entertainment hosted by cruise lines. The new inductees are Howard Frank, a long-time top executive at Carnival Corp.; brothers Brad Tolkin and Jeff Tolkin of World Travel Holdings; and Uf Tukel and Don Walker of WMPH Vacations (it stands for We Make People Happy).

Don’t forget! Celebrity Cruises today launches a new $16 million brand campaign with the tagline “Remember Everything.” New TV commercials will debut as part of the brand’s partnership with Bravo Media and will be supplemented with trade and consumer print ads, direct mail, digital and social activity, and experiential events. The three commercials are told from a guest’s perspective.

“The new campaign is centered around our guests enjoying the totality of their Celebrity experience, not just a single moment — we want them to ‘Remember Everything’,” said Lisa Kauffman, vice president of marketing for Celebrity Cruises.

The partnership with Bravo includes four “Top Chef” cruises featuring 13 “chef’testants” from the TV cooking competition beginning in July. Also, all cruises (expect for Xpedition) will feature Quickfire Challenges and “Top Chef”-inspired menus from July 2014 through June 2015.

Faves of LGBT travelers: MeetMeOnBoard.com, an online gathering place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender travelers, announced the winners of its second annual Cruizie Awards at cruise3sixty.

“Cruise lines are realizing more and more just how sizable and visible the gay and lesbian cruise community is,” said Mark den Hartog, publisher and CEO of the MeetMeOnBoard.com. “The travel habits of our nearly 10,000 MeetMeOnBoard.com LGBT members continue to make it clear that while all-gay charter cruises are popular, the vast majority of gay and lesbian passengers choose mainstream cruise itineraries. But we also know that our members expect to be welcomed and enjoy a few touches that recognize us as a community — especially valued are well-organized, onboard LGBT gatherings.

Here are the winners: Best large ship cruise line for LGBT passengers

Celebrity Cruises

Runner up: Norwegian Cruise Line Best small ship cruise line

Azamara Club Cruises

Runner up: Seabourn Best river cruise line

Viking River Cruises

Runner up: Avalon Waterways Best onboard LGBT gatherings

Norwegian Cruise Line

Runner up: Princess Cruises Best onboard shows and entertainment

Royal Caribbean International

Runner up: Norwegian Cruise Line Best overall food experience

Celebrity Cruises

Runner up: Princess Cruises Best overall shipboard decor

Celebrity Cruises

Runner up: Royal Caribbean International Most comfortable cabins

Celebrity Cruises

Runner up: Norwegian Cruise Line Best onboard gyms

Royal Caribbean International

Runner up: Celebrity Cruises Best onboard spa facilities

Celebrity Cruises

Runner up: Norwegian Cruise Line Best all-gay large-ship full charter

Atlantis Events

Runner up: RSVP Vacations Best all-gay small-ship full charter

Concierge Travel

Runner up: GaySail Best gay-group cruise organizer

Aquafest

Runner up: Chumley’s BearCruise Best embark/debark port city

Fort Lauderdale

Runner up: Miami

http://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/cruise3sixty-what-you-missed.html?u=D3A00230-CBB9-E31195BD-0050568E420D

Cruise3sixty Celebrates 10th Anniversary April 7, 2014 Those of you that follow me on Facebook have, already had a glimpse last week's events as I posted a few images from CLIA's 10th Annual Cruise3sixty conference which was being held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

It was exciting being here for part of this historic occasion. I've attended all but last year's conference which was held in Vancouver.

Cruise Lines International Association, Inc (CLIA) is the world's largest cruise industry trade association with representation in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia. CLIA represents the interests of cruise lines and travel agents before regulatory and legislative policy makers.

CLIA is also engaged in travel agent training, research and marketing communications to promote the value and desirability of cruise holiday vacations with thousands of travel agency and travel agent members.

CLIA North America is comprised of 26 cruise lines and 10,500 travel agencies representing more than 35,000 individual travel agents. In addition, more than 120 of the most innovative suppliers of goods and services to the cruise industry make up CLIA’s Executive Partner Program.

As a Master Cruise Counselor (MCC), it is necessary for me to complete additional training each year in order to be re-certified.

CLIA's Cruise3sixty conference is a great way to meet those requirements and exceed them by attending seminars from many of the industry's leaders and interacting with agents and suppliers on 1-1 basis throughout the week.

Congratulations Christine Duffy and the entire CLIA staff for hosting yet another fabulous Cruise3sixty conference. I'm looking forward to next year's conference which will be back in Fort Lauderdale.

In my next posts, I'll talk more about some of my week's activities including ship inspections onboard some of the newest ships afloat.

http://cruisewithchris.blogspot.com/2014/04/cruise3sixty-celebrates-10th-anniversary.html

Cruise Execs Talk About Industry’s Future More Innovation ahead; Travel Agents Remain Key to Promoting, Selling Cruises April 4, 2014

Cruise ship innovation, travel agent relationships and understanding consumers' vacation needs will be critical to the cruise industry's success in the next decade, CEOs of the world's leading cruise operators said Friday.

Finding ways to attract new people to cruising also will be key to growth, the cruise executives told travel agents gathered at the Cruise Lines International Association's 10th annual cruise3sixty conference in Fort Lauderdale.

"The new-to-cruise is clearly what we need as an industry," said Arnold Donald, President and CEO of Miami-based Carnival Corp. & PLC, during a panel discussion about the future of cruising.

Donald also said more needs to be done to promote the benefits of cruising to consumers who've never cruised.

"The reality is we are the greatest value there is in vacation travel, but most people don't know that," he said.

In 2014, some 21.7 million passengers are forecast to cruise globally — up from the estimated 21.3 million passengers in 2013. Still that's just scratching the surface, cruise officials said.

In the future, travel agents will remain key in promoting and selling cruises.

"For all of us, travel agents are the lifeblood of our success and it will never be different," Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Kevin Sheehan said.

Cruisers can also expect to see more innovative ships and "wow" features as lines compete for passengers.

Looking ahead, the 95 million millennials market of consumers born between 1980 and 2000 is poised to become a significant source of new cruisers, said Christine Duffy, CLIA President & CEO and the panel's moderator.

"This demographic group offers a window into the next generation of travelers and provides opportunity for serious growth," Duffy said. "They have a strong desire to travel and to share experiences."

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-04-04/business/fl-clia-lauderdale-cruise-conference20140404_1_travel-agents-cruise-industry-christine-duffy

CLIA Welcomes Agents to 10th Annual Conference April 4, 2014

The Cruise Lines International Association kicked off its 10thannual cruise3sixty conference for travel agents in Fort Lauderdale with a welcome greeting from CEO Christine Duffy and a call from top cruise line executives for more first-timers.

Agents also heard from Dwain Wall, CLIA's new senior vice president-agency and trade relations, who revealed that CLIA’s National Cruise Vacation Week will be rebranded this year as CLIA Cruise Week Oct. 6-13. “It’s going global,” as CLIA has over the past couple of years, and will be promoted in Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and Ireland, said Wall, the former general manager of agent networks CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. Duffy said CLIA forecasts that 21.7 million people will cruise in 2014, a 66 percent increase over 2005, when the first cruise3sixty was held. (The event will be held in Fort Lauderdale again in 2015 and 2017, but no mention was made which port will host in 2016. It has been held in Vancouver twice.)

Duffy also mentioned the importance of the millennial market, which totals 95 million people born between 1980 and 2000 — a market larger than the estimated 80 million Baby Boomers. These young adults aren’t necessarily devoted cruisers, so agents and cruise lines must work to attract them. However, kids that cruise with their parents generally remain cruise aficionados, Duffy said. “The multi-generational trend is a good one for the industry and for your business,” she said.

And attracting new cruisers is key to the health of the industry, according to four top cruise company executives who spoke on a panel, because less than 4 percent of Americans have ever taken a cruise.

Echoing comments made last month at Cruise Shipping Miami, Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corp., said agents must work to overcome negative perceptions some people have about cruising and then qualify them to put them on the right ship for them.

Executives noted how showy features — ropes courses, water slides, rock-climbing walls, high-dive shows and ziplines — catch the eye of new cruisers. Kevin Sheehan, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, said the edgy Broadway show “Rock of Ages” prompted “a lot of people to say ‘that’s kinda cool.’ We have to get consumers to look and say ‘I’m going to give that a try.’ ” It’s incumbent upon the cruise lines to communicate new features to travel agents, so they in turn can attract the first-timers and match them up with the right brand, he said.

Interestingly, Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., took issue with conventional wisdom that ever-splashy cruise ships are now the destination rather than the ports of call. The itinerary remains important even as people select ships based on their onboard features, he said. “We do both,” he said. “We bring you to wonderful places and do it in a wonderful way.”

Plus, cruise ships are mobile, able to depart regions when trouble flares up, as has happened in the Middle East, Northern Africa and now the Black Sea, said

Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises. “If there’s a problem, we can move,” he said. “It’s the best way to visit the world.”

The executives also took the opportunity to reinforce their commitment to travel agents.

“For all of us, travel agents are the lifeblood of our success,” Sheehan said.

“We need you and we value you,” Donald said. “Thank you for everything you do.”

http://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/clia-welcomes-agents-to-10th-annualconference.html?u=D3A00230-CBB9-E311-95BD-0050568E420D

Cruise Line Industry Conference Held April 4, 2014

Cruise3sixty opened its 10th annual conference in Fort Lauderdale April 2 welcoming over a thousand travel agents and industry leaders to the Broward County Convention Center. It is an opportunity for cruise lines to get the messages out to agents and the public.

For example, at an early morning press conference on April 4, Richard E. Sasso, president of MSC Cruises USA said that the company's presence in the U.S. will be growing dramatically in the months to come.

"We want to serve the travel agents and the consumer," Sasso told the media. He said in an age of technology the human factor is still vital and to that end will be increasing the size of the MSC team, including a doubling of the sales force.

MSC leaders are embarking soon on a twenty city "road show" to take the cruise line's message across the country. Sasso strongly indicated that the growth of MSC is just beginning. There is also a stepped-up advertising and marketing effort. Also taking part in the presentation were Ken Muskat, Executive VP of Sales and Rick Cazzell, VP of Trade Support and Guest Services.

Cruise3sixty includes workshops, keynote speakers and a trade show during its four day conference. See related articles on this site. Also visit www.cruising.org.

http://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=186:cruiseleaders-in-fort-lauderdale&Itemid=60

New Training and Workshops at CLIA’s 10th Anniversary cruise3sixty Set the Stage for Next Decade of Travel Agent Success April 3, 2014

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) will launch 10 new travel agent training seminars plus offer more than 50 product, destination and professional development workshops during the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference and trade show.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) will launch 10 new travel agent training seminars plus offer more than 50 product, destination and professional development workshops during the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference and trade show. The 10 new one-hour classes will be the centerpiece of a total of 16 training education courses.

For the first time, agents attending cruise3sixty will be able to earn a total of 150 CLIA certification credits toward their CLIA Accredited Cruise Counsellor (ACC) or Master Cruise Counsellor (MCC) designations. The conference begins Wednesday, April 2, 2014 and continues through Monday, April 7, 2014 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. In addition to professional development, cruise3sixty will offer a two-day trade show with more than 300 exhibiting companies, numerous networking events, 24 ships available for inspection, and the highly-anticipated CLIA Hall of Fame Dinner & Awards Gala.

“CLIA is the gold standard in travel agent education,” said CLIA President & CEO Christine Duffy. “We listen to our agent members and understand what they want and need to be successful. The new agent education format reinforces CLIA’s pledge to offer the best travel agent education in the industry."

The 10 new CLIA training courses being offered at cruise3sixty include: Be Your Own Paparazzi - PR has Changed, Find Out the Top Ways to Stand Out Facebook 2014 –What You Need to Know NowGet Your Geek On! – Emerging and Evolving Social Media You Need to Know About Where to Find It – Must-have Resources and Apps What's My Line? – Connecting Clients to Cruising in One Sentence” Put the Person Back in Personal Selling – They're People, Not Apps Sell Your Passion – Niche Markets You Never Thought of But Should Have The New Face of Luxury Cruising – New Luxury Clients, New Luxury Ships Eat, Drink & Cruise – A Focus on Culinary Cruising Turn Their Heads - Grow Your Business Through 1st Time Cruisers

Among the 50 workshops, will be cruise line showcases from the CLIA Specialty Cruise Collection and five “It’s All About You Workshops” focusing on how agents can improve sales.

The Annual CLIA Hall of Fame Dinner & Awards Gala on Saturday, April 5, will honor cruise industry individuals who have made significant contributions to the development and growth of cruising. The gala will feature exciting cruise line entertainment including GRAMMY® award-winner Nestor Torres of Norwegian Cruise Line’s GRAMMY® Experience at Sea, and an exclusive production created for CLIA by Royal Caribbean Productions featuring Royal Caribbean International’s Singers in “A Bit of Broadway.”

Celebrity Cruises will present a performance by Kimberley Caldwell, former American Idol finalist and one of the most popular performers from Celebrity’s own “Finalists At Sea” program, which showcases many of the top names from the iconic TV show.

More information on CLIA’s 10th anniversary cruise3sixty is available at www.cruise3sixty.com.

http://www.travelindustrywire.com/article77186New_Training_and_Workshops_at_CLIA ______s___Th_Anniversary_Cruise_Sixty_Set_the_Stage_for_Next_Decade_of_Travel _Agent_Success.html

New Training and Workshops at CLIA’s 10Th Anniversary Cruise3Sixty Set the Stage for Next Decade of Travel Agent Success April 3, 2014

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) will launch 10 new travel agent training seminars plus offer more than 50 product, destination and professional development workshops during the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference and trade show. The 10 new one-hour classes will be the centerpiece of a total of 16 training education courses. For the first time, agents attending cruise3sixty will be able to earn a total of 150 CLIA certification credits toward their CLIA Accredited Cruise Counsellor (ACC) or Master Cruise Counsellor (MCC) designations. The conference begins Wednesday, April 2, 2014 and continues through Monday, April 7, 2014 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. In addition to professional development, cruise3sixty will offer a two-day trade show with more than 300 exhibiting companies, numerous networking events, 24 ships available for inspection, and the highly-anticipated CLIA Hall of Fame Dinner & Awards Gala.

“CLIA is the gold standard in travel agent education,” said CLIA President & CEO Christine Duffy. “We listen to our agent members and understand what they want and need to be successful. The new agent education format reinforces CLIA’s pledge to offer the best travel agent education in the industry."

The 10 new CLIA training courses being offered at cruise3sixty include: Be Your Own Paparazzi - PR has Changed, Find Out the Top Ways to Stand Out Facebook 2014 –What You Need to Know Now Get Your Geek On! – Emerging and Evolving Social Media You Need to Know About Where to Find It – Must-have Resources and Apps What's My Line? – Connecting Clients to Cruising in One Sentence Put the Person Back in Personal Selling – They're People, Not Apps Sell Your Passion – Niche Markets You Never Thought of But Should Have The New Face of Luxury Cruising – New Luxury Clients, New Luxury Ships Eat, Drink & Cruise – A Focus on Culinary Cruising Turn Their Heads - Grow Your Business Through 1st Time Cruisers Among the 50 workshops, will be cruise line showcases from the CLIA Specialty Cruise Collection and five “It’s All About You Workshops” focusing on how agents can improve sales.

The Annual CLIA Hall of Fame Dinner & Awards Gala on Saturday, April 5, will honor cruise industry individuals who have made significant contributions to the development and growth of cruising. The gala will feature exciting cruise line entertainment including GRAMMY® award-winner Nestor Torres of Norwegian Cruise Line’s GRAMMY® Experience at Sea, and an exclusive production created for CLIA by Royal Caribbean Productions featuring Royal Caribbean International’s Singers in “A Bit of Broadway.” Celebrity Cruises will present a performance by Kimberley Caldwell, former American Idol finalist and one of the most popular performers from Celebrity’s own “Finalists At Sea” program, which showcases many of the top names from the iconic TV show.

More information on CLIA’s 10th anniversary cruise3sixty is available at www.cruise3sixty.com.

http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article77186.html

A Decade of cruise3sixty April 1, 2014

By Tom Stieghorst Somehow, the Cruise3sixty conference organized by CLIA has been going on for 10 years now.

It has evolved into a nice package with several features that are useful to travel agents.

They get to hear directly from the industry’s top leaders, attend training sessions and earn accreditation points, network and see an unprecedented number of ships.

At this year’s conference, set for April 2 to 6, there will be 24 vessels available for inspection as well as over 50 product and destination seminars. And that’s in addition to the two-day trade show featuring over 300 exhibitors.

Registration runs from $159 for CLIA member agents to $239 for those not affiliated with a CLIA agency.

A lot has changed since the first Cruise3sixty in the fall of 2005.

Not surprisingly, technology marches on. A big announcement from Windstar Cruises that initial year was the addition of full-ship WiFi and the availability of Apple iPod Nanos for use onboard.

There is a fourth cruise CEO invited to the panel discussion this year, with MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago joining the heads of Carnival Corp., Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. on the rostrum. Ten years ago MSC was hardly in the same league as the other three companies, but what a difference a decade makes.

The first Cruise3sixty got off to a bang, following the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina.

Carnival Corp. had leased three of its ships to the federal government for emergency relief housing, and keynote speaker Jeb Bush, then Florida’s governor, and Carnival Corp. Chairman Micky Arison spent time defending the propriety of the deal.

Several members of Congress had asked for an investigation or appointment of an executive to oversee post-Katrina spending. In a joint statement, two senators called the $192 million Carnival contract with FEMA a “grossly overpriced sweetheart deal.”

One of the senators was Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn, who plans to retire from Congress at the end of this year. The other, a little-known Democrat less than a year removed from the Illinois Senate by the name of Barack Obama, has already moved on.

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Insights/A-decade-of-Cruise3sixty/

CLIA Unveils Impressive Lineup of General Sessions and Speakers for cruise3sixty’s 10th Anniversary April 1, 2014

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has assembled some of the travel industry’s top experts and speakers to be part of the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference and trade show, which is set to take place April 2-6, 2014 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This “must-attend” event for travel agents includes 10 new CLIA training and professional development seminars, three days of networking events, three general sessions and a twoday trade show showcasing more than 300 exhibiting companies, including CLIA member cruise lines. Agents will also have the opportunity to tour a record 24 cruise ships and participate in over 50 product and destination seminars. Cruise3sixty 2014 is expected to have one of the largest delegate attendances in the show’s history.

“Since its inception, cruise3sixty has set the standard for cruise-focused travel agent conferences,” says CLIA President & CEO Christine Duffy. “Celebrating 10 years and looking ahead to the future, cruise3sixty will continue to reflect our core commitment to support our travel agent partners to be successful.”

http://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/clia-unvells-impressive-lineup-general-sessionsspeakers-cruise3sixtys-10th-anniversary/

CLIA Reveals General Sessions, Speakers for Cruise3Sixty's 10th Anniversary March 31, 2014

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) assembled some of the travel industry’s top experts and speakers to be part of the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference and trade show, which is set to take place April 2-6, 2014 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. This event for travel agents includes 10 new CLIA training and professional development seminars, three days of networking events, three general sessions and a two-day trade show showcasing more than 300 exhibiting companies, including CLIA member cruise lines. Agents will also have the opportunity to tour a record 24 cruise ships and participate in over 50 product and destination seminars.

The cruise3sixty general sessions get under way on Friday, April 4 and include the following:  



Remarks from Christine Duffy CEO panel discussion on the future of cruising with Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc; Richard D. Fain, chairman & CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises; Kevin Sheehan, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line; and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises Keynote address on “The Happiness Factor in Personal and Business Success” presented by humorist, author and professional motivational speaker Kathleen Passanisi, PT, CSP, CPAE, of New Perspectives

The general session on Saturday, April 5 continues the theme of growing cruise sales now and in the future with the following: 

 

New SVP of agency membership and trade relations Dwain Wall will lead two panels featuring cruise line sales leaders, discussing how to “Create a Gold Rush – Prospecting and Finding Your Next Cruise Customer,” and “The Art of the Upsell and Closing the Sale” Presenting sponsor American Express, as well as a guest speaker from Travel + Leisure magazine will each provide insights on cruise and leisure travel trends Gold sponsor Amadeus will address trends that will help travel agents prepare for today and the future of cruise sales

The general sessions conclude on Sunday, April 6 with three presentations: 



Michael Green, epicurean and marketing expert will speak about “Setting the Table for Success: Trends in Culinary Travel” and how agents can leverage authentic food and wine experiences to drive sales in a growing market Jessica Myers Rodbell, travel industry head, southeast of Google will share how to use technology to succeed in business with “Be First To the Future”



And motivational speaker Stuart L. Cohen of Exclamation Points, Inc. will provide his perspective in “Loyalty Is For The Birds — 25 Tips for Achieving Remarkable Customer Loyalty & Strong Partnerships”

Agent registration is still open for the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty. CLIA members and non-members are encouraged to register now at www.cruise3sixty.com.

For more information, visit www.cruising.org.

http://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/clia-reveals-general-sessions-speakers-cruise3sixtys-10thanniversary-45333

CLIA Unveils Impressive Lineup For Cruise3sixty March 31, 2014

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has assembled some of the travel industry’s top experts and speakers to be part of the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference and trade show, which is set to take place April 2-6, 2014 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. This “must-attend” event for travel agents includes 10 new CLIA training and professional development seminars, three days of networking events, three general sessions and a two-day trade show showcasing more than 300 exhibiting companies, including CLIA member cruise lines. Agents will also have the opportunity to tour a record 24 cruise ships and participate in over 50 product and destination seminars.

Cruise3sixty 2014 is expected to have one of the largest delegate attendances in the show’s history.

“Since its inception, cruise3sixty has set the standard for cruise-focused travel agent conferences,” says CLIA President & CEO Christine Duffy. “Celebrating 10 years and looking ahead to the future, cruise3sixty will continue to reflect our core commitment to support our travel agent partners to be successful.”

The dynamic cruise3sixty general sessions get under way on Friday, April 4 and include the following: 

Remarks from Christine Duffy



CEO panel discussion on the future of cruising with Arnold Donald, President and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc; Richard D. Fain, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Kevin Sheehan, Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line; and Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises



Keynote address on “The Happiness Factor in Personal and Business Success” presented by Humorist, Author and Professional Motivational Speaker Kathleen Passanisi, PT, CSP, CPAE, of New Perspectives

The general session on Saturday, April 5 continues the theme of growing cruise sales now and in the future with the following: 

New Senior Vice President of Agency Membership and Trade Relations Dwain Wall will lead two panels featuring cruise line sales leaders, discussing how to “Create a Gold Rush – Prospecting and Finding Your Next Cruise Customer,” and “The Art of the Upsell and Closing the Sale”



Presenting sponsor American Express, as well as a guest speaker fromTravel + Leisure magazine will each provide insights on cruise and leisure travel trends



Gold sponsor Amadeus will address trends that will help travel agents prepare for today and the future of cruise sales

The general sessions conclude on Sunday, April 6 with three inspiring presentations: 

Michael Green, renowned epicurean and marketing expert will speak about “Setting the Table for Success: Trends in Culinary Travel” and how agents can leverage authentic food and wine experiences to drive sales in a growing market



Jessica Myers Rodbell, Travel Industry Head, Southeast of Google will share how to use technology to succeed in business with “Be First To the Future”



And motivational speaker Stuart L. Cohen of Exclamation Points, Inc. will provide his perspective in “Loyalty Is For The Birds — 25 Tips for Achieving Remarkable Customer Loyalty & Strong Partnerships”

Agent registration is still open for the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty. CLIA members and non-members are encouraged to register now for the world’s best cruise conference at www.cruise3sixty.com. For more on the benefits of CLIA membership, visit www.cruising.org.

http://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/clia-unveils-impressive-lineup-for-cruise3sixty.html

CLIA and the Cruise Industry's Decade of Change March 24, 2014 In 2014, an estimated 21.7 million guests will sail on Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) global cruise fleet of 400+ ships including 15 new ships. That’s a lot of berths to fill. Another 20 ships will join the CLIA global fleet between 2015 and 2018.

A decade ago, cognizant of the industry growth and the increasing need for more skilled travel agents to market and sell cruises, Cruise Lines International Association launched its first cruise3sixty conference. That sold-out show welcomed 1,300 travel agents and since then, CLIA has conducted the conference annually, mostly in South Florida but also twice in Vancouver, BC. Between April 2-6, more than 2,000 travel agents will converge upon the Broward County Convention Center within Port Everglades, FL, for CLIA’s 10th anniversarycruise3sixty conference, poised to become the organization’s biggest and most productive ever.

“We’re so really excited for cruise3sixty’s 10 years and, in addition, next year CLIA will be celebrating 40 years,” says Christine Duffy, CLIA’s president and CEO. “We have a lot of milestones. CLIA continues—on behalf of all the cruise line members—to be very committed to the work we do for travel agents and the travel agency community. We’re excited to see record [attendance] numbers.”

Keeping a pipeline of professional travel agents flowing into the cruise selling marketplace is more important than ever.

Today’s CLIA is far larger than in the past, with 13 cruise industry associations worldwide operating under one organizational umbrella, and 61 cruise line members. CLIA also has 250 executive partners—port authorities, destinations

and maritime and industry suppliers.

Trade-wise, more than 13,500 CLIA travel agency members reach over 50,000 agents throughout North America, UK & Ireland, Australia, Asia and elsewhere. Karin Viera, vice president of sales, Vacation.com says many of her group’s members attend cruise3sixty and find it very beneficial: “The training, panels, networking and ship inspections have the highest satisfaction.”

Concurring is Michelle Fee, co-founder and CEO, Cruise Planners, who has encouraged her group’s franchise owners to attend. “The reason is simple—education is the key to success,” she says, adding that in an age of information overload, as an agent, the days of being an order taker are over. “If you want to win new business and keep clients satisfied, you need to be at the top of your game, so educating yourself is paramount.”

Evolving Cruise3Sixty What’s new for the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference? First, CLIA shifted cruise3sixty to April 2-6, a bit earlier in the year than normal. It’s usually later in April or in May or June. Duffy explained that this allows for more ship inspections.

Seasonally home ported ships often sail away from South Florida sometime in April.

Moving the conference a bit earlier allows agents to tour more ships including some not previously available for inspection.

New this year, a record 26 ships will be available for agents to inspect at Port Everglades and PortMiami. In addition, at past conferences agents could sign up for two or three ships to inspect, but this year agents may register for up to four ship inspections with the possibility of even a fifth or sixth, pending availability. Among the ships are Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas, Carnival Sunshine, Celebrity Reflection, Disney Wonder, Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam, MSC Divina, Norwegian Getaway and Royal Princess.

Advance registration is required and Duffy urged agents who haven’t done so to sign up now. “Ship inspections are one of the most popular and important aspects of cruise3sixty,” she says. “They always sell out quickly.” At press time, 14 ships were still available for inspection reservations.

In yet another development, CLIA is introducing a completely revitalized training curriculum. Duffy pointed to 10 new, one-hour training courses that were created directly from agent feedback. She says they’re more contemporary in content and

format and also shorter than some past CLIA courses. Agents receive 10 certification credits for each course completed.

Approximately 35-50 of Nexion’s agents typically attend cruise3sixty, according to Jackie Friedman, that host group’s president. She said the Institute Track, a fasttrack approach to CLIA certification with multiple courses and ship inspections offered at the conference, as a big plus. Agents enrolled in Institute Track may quickly earn up to 150 credits toward their Associate Cruise Counselor (ACC) or Master Cruise Counselor (MCC) certification.

Mike King, co-owner, Travel Leaders, Fredericksburg, VA, credited the 2012 conference for helping him more quickly achieve his MCC certification. “The ship inspections made the classroom knowledge come to life so that I could come back and be more knowledgeable as I dealt with customers for cruises,” King emphasized, noting that another travel advisor from his agency will attend this year.

Duffy has confirmed that four top cruise industry executives will participate at the first General Session on April 4; speakers include Arnold Donald, president and CEO, Carnival Corporation; Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; Kevin Sheehan, CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line; and Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman,MSC Cruises. Duffy’s own keynote address, “From the Helm,” will give agents insight into her vision about the cruise industry, CLIA’s globalization,

industry trends and the invaluable role travel advisors play and contribute to the cruise industry’s success.

“I’m looking forward to the general sessions, to hear from various industry leaders, and to get a glimpse of the industry from their perspective,” says Christopher Lingren, franchise owner, Cruise Planners-American Express Travel, Noblesville, IN. Also, “I’m very excited to say that once I complete cruise3sixty this time, I will have completed the MCC requirements within 15 months of starting the program. I cannot wait to get there and work through the classes, and complete the last two remaining ship inspections that I need.”

Industry Evolution Agents say it’s critical they stay current, given the wild ride in the travel industry over the past decade. Advisors have weathered everything from a challenging recession to a social media revolution. Ships and brands have also changed sizably.

“Personally, I find the event extremely valuable as everyone needs a once-a-year refresher on the industry,” noted Drew Daly, vice president of sales and performance, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “I always walk away from each session with some new tidbit that I can apply in the business.”

Just how much has the cruise marketplace changed in a decade? When introduced in 2003,Cunard’s 150,000-ton Queen Mary 2 was the world’s largest ship. Today, Royal Caribbean International’s 225,000+ ton Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are the giants of the seas. In fact, many 1,800-passenger ships are now considered midsized, while just a decade ago they were categorized as large.

With the advent of mega-ships, designers also have focused on spreading guests out more evenly throughout the ships by creating such innovative spaces as Boardwalk and Central Park on the Oasis-class ships. CLIA member line ships boast bowling alleys, skating rinks, zip lines, virtual simulators, water slides, art studios, ice bars and shops galore.

Many agents cite the 2001 launch of Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Cruise Line’s first purpose-built “Freestyle Cruising” vessel, as a game changer; today’s newest Freestyle ship, the Norwegian Getaway, boasts 28 different dining experiences, some along The Waterfront, an outdoor al fresco dining and strolling area.

Scott Koepf, vice president of sales, Avoya Travel believes “the number one development [in the past decade] is the continued growth and extraordinary diversity of the product available within the cruise industry.” From Friedman’s perspective, the ships are now destinations unto themselves: “The new ships have a much wider range of stateroom choices, offer a wide range of cruise duration options, and they travel to more exotic destinations, making these ships a more complex product to sell. Qualifying the customer is more important than ever before.”

Alternative dining concepts vary sizably by line, but diversity and flexibility rule. MSC Divina has the trendy Eataly, Crystal Cruises has upscale Nobu venues, Holland America Line offers a restaurant with Pacific Northwest cuisine, Disney Cruise Line has the adults-only Palo and Remy restaurants, and Carnival Cruise Lines has a steakhouse. Many agents say it’s hard to remember when Celebrity Cruises didn’t sail with Solstice-class ships, which boast such dining venues as Blu for AquaClass guests and, based on availability, suite guests. At the quirky Qsine, guests read the menu on iPads. And the list goes on.

A new CLIA “Eat, Drink & Cruise” course offered at cruise3sixty will show agents how to tap into culinary offerings—from themed cruises to onboard cooking demonstrations and celebrity chef restaurants. Lucinda Belden, franchise owner, CruiseOne in Carrollton, TX, told Travel Agent: “I’m most looking forward to the coursework on food tourism as this is my niche.”

In the past decade, luxury cruising has soared in demand. Products have become more inclusive. Luxury ships have also evolved. In 2005, Seabourn Cruise Line operated the small-ship Seabourn Legend, Seabourn Pride, and Seabourn Spirit. This year and next, they’re shifting to new owner Windstar Cruises, while Seabourn operates four larger, newer Odyssey-class ships, with an even larger new ship on order. Silversea Cruises launched its largest vessel, the 540-passenger Silver Spirit in 2010, plus has added several intimate expedition ships. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has a new 738passenger ship on order. Agents headed to cruise3sixty can learn more during a new CLIA course, “The New Face of Luxury Cruising - New Luxury Clients, New Luxury Ships.”

Another decade-long trend? “Upper premium” took off in 2003 when the new Oceania Cruises began sailing with the 684-passenger Regatta. Today, Oceania has five ships serving 4552 passengers. Upper premium competitor Azamara Club Cruises launched in 2007 and operates two ships on global itineraries.

One of the hottest trends is soaring consumer demand for river cruises. In 2003, CLIA member line AmaWaterways sailed (under the Amadeus Waterways name initially) with just one 148-berth vessel. Fast forward to 2015, when AmaWaterways will operate 20 ships with 2,836 berths. No longer a vacation appealing solely to elderly, mass-market clients, the latest river vessels are amenity-laden with upscale dining, active options, customizable arrangements, balcony cabins and suites. Some even have butlers.

Strong growth is also evident at CLIA’s other North American member river lines includingAmerican Cruise Lines, Avalon Waterways, Tauck and the Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, and one regional CLIA member, Viking River Cruises. “This style of cruising is very attractive to consumers who have traditionally taken land vacations,” Friedman says, noting that agents will find river products very profitable to sell.

Niche cruising, with such products as Hurtigruten, has also blossomed. As river, smallship, luxury and niche lines desired to differentiate themselves from larger, oceangoing mass-market lines, CLIA responded by launching the Specialty Cruise Collection in 2012. This year’s conference will have two Specialty Cruise Collection Showcases, in addition to CLIA Brand Showcases that feature more traditional oceangoing lines.

Other 2014 trends, according to CLIA, are improved technology and connectivity at sea, more all-inclusive packages, and an increase in multigenerational travel. The organization also says first-time passenger growth is being driven by the 95 million “Millennials,” many of whom have had positive experiences in cruising with their parents.

As the global fleet grows, voyages have become more eclectic. This year 37 percent of CLIA line capacity is positioned in the Caribbean/Bahamas, 19 percent in the Mediterranean, 11 percent elsewhere in Europe, 6 percent in Australia/New Zealand/Pacific, 5 percent in Alaska, 3 percent in South America, 4 percent in Asia, and 15 percent from other destinations.

Assisting Travel Advisors Today’s cruise agents recommend which category accommodations are best for clients, evaluate ship-within-a-ship options, book shore excursions and spa treatments, handle arrangements for pre- and post-cruise stays, find specialized

cruises and make customized arrangements. CLIA’s new course, “Where to Find It – Must-have Resources and Apps,” will help agents find the right information to fit the client’s situation.

“When cruise3sixty launched 10 years ago, e-mail was the only major form of online communications,” Fee says. “Today, the world has been taken over by social media.”

Catherine Heeg, a tourism, travel and hospitality industry expert, will teach two new social media and technology courses at cruise3sixty; they are “Facebook 2014 –What You Need to Know Now” and “Get Your Geek On! – Emerging and Evolving Social Media You Need to Know About.” The latter explores social platforms, tools for video applications, microsites and blogging, and updates for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Google+.

With the rise of social media, “consumer reporters” are onsite when a wave breaks a ship’s window or a customer issue develops. Quick, fact-based responses by cruise lines and travel agents are important, both for balanced news and future sales.

“Handling and dealing with consumer media—from both a positive and negative implication on the cruise industry—would be the second development,” Koepf cites about changes of the past decade. “Be Your Own Paparazzi,” another new CLIA training course, explains how public relations has changed and provides tips for agents.

The past decade also has revealed the value of partners. “I’d be remiss not to include the growth of the importance of host agencies,” says Fee. “In an online driven marketplace, it’s tough to go it alone today, and host agencies make it possible for smaller players to compete.”

In addition, 61 percent of travel agents participating in CLIA’s recent Travel Agency Survey listed “a home port” as a major motivator to take a cruise. “The ability to attract the drive market, along with the attractive price points, has brought many first time cruisers into the market,” Friedman says. To assist agents in explaining how to cruise, be personal with clients and show passion for the business, CLIA will offer these new courses: “What’s My Line? - Connecting Clients to Cruising in One Sentence”; “Put the Person Back in Personal Selling – They’re People, Not Apps”; and “Sell Your Passion” (focusing on niche markets).

Separately, CLIA has also developed a workshop series for cruise3sixty with such courses as “Selling to Win! - Lessons from the Sales Coach”; “The New National Cruise Vacation Week - Cruise Events that Grow Sales”; and “Reinvent your Travel Agency in One Hour.”

More than 77 percent of travel agents surveyed by CLIA cited the destination or itinerary as a major consumer motivator for booking. “I’m especially looking forward to learning more about destinations in Europe and Asia,” says Eric Sternberg, franchise owner, Cruise Planners-American Express Travel, Napa, CA. Cruise3sixty will have 50-minute workshops that highlight global destinations, hotel products, agent services, and cruise and industry products—everything from Hawaii to Cruise Baltic, from the Dominican Republic to France and Alaska. Carnival will put on a workshop about “Hook ‘em and Book ‘em – How to Throw a First-Time Cruise Party.”

Continuing Globalization CLIA was primarily North America-focused in 2005. Other cruise groups represented lines in Europe, Australia and elsewhere. But Costa Concordia, norovirus, safety, and operational issues have demonstrated a need for “one voice” in tackling challenging industry issues and talking to government and regulatory agencies across borders.

The CLIA Global umbrella now includes (with previous names in parentheses): CLIA North America (CLIA); CLIA North West & Canada (North West and Canada Cruise Association); CLIA Alaska (Alaska Cruise Association); CLIA ABREMAR-Brazil (ABREMAR); CLIA Europe (European Cruise Council); CLIA UK & Ireland (Passenger Shipping Association); CLIA France (AFCC); CLIA Netherlands (DCC); CLIA Belgium & Luxembourg (Cruise & Ferry World); CLIA Asia (Asia Cruise Association); and CLIA Australasia (International Cruise Council Australasia). In addition, these groups are newly established CLIA national chapters: CLIA Germany, CLIA Italy and CLIA Spain.

This week, Bud Darr, CLIA’s senior vice president for global, technical and regulatory

affairs, heads to Washington D.C. to testify at a cruise ship safety forum initiated by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). CLIA member line experts and officials from the International Maritime Organization and The Bahamas also are expected to participate.

On the trade side, Duffy just returned from the first cruise3sixty Australasia in Sydney, speaking to a sell-out crowd of 400 agents. Australia/New Zealand sourcing for cruises is up 130 percent from five years ago. Duffy also recently delivered a keynote address at ITB Berlin; German passenger sourcing is up nearly 81 percent from five years ago, CLIA says.

CLIA UK & Ireland plan to host another river cruise convention in Europe, something the group has done since 2011. “There are surprises in store that agents won’t want to miss, from the much-anticipated new location [yet to be announced] to the exciting selection of ships,” says Duffy. “The 2014 River Cruise Convention is expected to be in November, and we anticipate another year of record-breaking attendance as more and more agents and consumers are interested in river cruises.”

The USA remains CLIA’s top market for cruise sourcing—with nearly 52 percent of global passengers. Travel Agent asked Duffy about any potential for having two North American cruise3sixty conferences annually—one each on the West and East Coast? While it’s been discussed, she says Australian agents who came to the past Vancouver conferences likely won’t make the journey in the future, given their own Australasia conference. She also noted that CLIA has revamped its cruisExcellence 2.0 regional training. (See sidebar on page 30).

In other news, Dwain Wall, former senior vice president and general manager, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., is CLIA’s new senior vice president of agency and trade relations. Michael Sinn, owner, Cruise Planners-American Express Travel, Las Vegas, NV, described Wall as a “great fit.” He’ll be highly visible at cruise3sixty.

From Koepf’s perspective, “cruise3sixty has always provided topical content based on the ever-changing industry, including promoting the value of host travel agencies as well as technology updates and the newest approaches to marketing.” Keep the content relevant to front-line sellers coming, though, he stressed, noting that’s “always an opportunity that will provide great benefits.”

Friedman praised CLIA’s good mix of hard and soft skills training as well as technology training, but she’d like to see more successful cruise agents in break-out training classes and general session panels. Daly says CLIA’s structured educational curriculum definitely helps agents achieve the knowledge they need to be successful in selling cruises; he encourages his agents to invest the time needed to become certified as an MCC. “The organization continues to be on trend,” from Fee’s perspective. “There is a lot of choice in what they present, which allows an attendee to select the path to what will bring them the most success.” Already an MCC, Belden will use cruise3sixty to get a jump start on her Elite Cruise Counselor (ECC) certification and to “reconnect” with suppliers and other agents. “When you work alone in a home office, [reconnecting] is most important to me to be able to share and exchange information and bounce ideas off other agents,” Belden noted.

As for CLIA itself, “the steadiness of the number of people who attend cruise3sixty every year speaks to the ongoing interest and support of travel agents, the agency community and cruise lines,” stressed Duffy. “It’s stood the test of time.”

Updated Regional Training CLIA has also revamped its cruisExcellence 2.0 regional training program. A new, one-day Saturday program will be conducted in 11 cities through October. The fastpaced format offers new content in one-hour seminars. Also included are virtual ship inspections plus new training segments.

For example, in some cities a 90-minute Alaska Expert session is conducted by Visit Anchorage; agents learn about everything from day cruises to flightseeing and lodging choices. One agent’s name will be drawn in each city during the training to receive a free Alaska familiarization visit, including air, during August.

The first cruisExcellence 2.0 programs were conducted earlier this year in San Pedro, CA; Los Angeles, CA; and Houston, TX. Upcoming programs will be held in these cities: Washington, D.C/Arlington, VA, April 26; Seattle, WA, May 10; Detroit, MI, May 31; Las Vegas, NV, June 14; Atlanta, GA, July 19; Toronto, Ontario, Canada, August 16; Orlando, FL, August 23; Denver, CO, on October 4; and New York City/East Rutherford, NJ, October 5.

For more on CLIA’s cruisExcellence 2.0 or cruise3sixty, visit www.cruising.org. http://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/clia-and-cruise-industrys-decade-change

CLIA Announces 2014 10th Annual Cruise Industry Hall Of Fame Inductees Published on : Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced today the inductees into the 2014 CLIA Hall of Fame.

Howard Frank, Former Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer, Carnival

Corporation & plc, current Chairman of the Board, Costa Crociere S.p.A, a unit of Carnival and Chairman, CLIA Board of Directors, the “Outstanding Cruise Industry Executive”; Uf Tukel and Don Walker, CoPresidents and Founders of WMPH Vacations are “Outstanding Cruise Retailers”; and Brad and Jeff Tolkin, Co-Chairmen and CEOs of World Travel Holdings, are “Cruise Sales Innovators.” The 2014 inductees will be honored at a gala event on April 5, 2014 during the 10th anniversary cruise3sixty conference and trade show, taking place April 2-6, 2014 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The CLIA Hall of Fame honors those individuals, past and present, whose efforts and accomplishments represent a significant contribution to, and a positive impact on, the cruise industry.

Honorees are

selected based on open nominations from CLIA’s membership, followed by a review by the CLIA Trade Relations Committee.

“During this very special 10th Anniversary of cruise3sixty and as we look to an exciting next decade of growth, it is particularly noteworthy that this year’s honorees have all played such significant roles in building and shaping the industry,” said CLIA President & CEO Christine Duffy. “And, they have all been among CLIA’s strongest supporters for many years,” she added.

http://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/clia-announces-2014-10th-annual-cruise-industry-hall-fameinductees/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Travel%20And%20Tour%20World&utm_conte nt=The+transponder+may+have+stopped+

CLIA names four travel agency execs to Hall of Fame

By Tom Stieghorst | Posted on: March 10, 2014 CLIA has selected executives from two top travel retailers, WMPH Vacations and World Travel Holdings, for induction into its Hall of Fame.

The honors will be received on April 5 at the Cruise3sixty convention in Fort Lauderdale by Uf Tukel and Don Walker, copresidents and founders of WMPH Vacations, and Brad and Jeff Tolkin, co-chairmen and CEOs of World Travel Holdings.

They will be joined by Howard Frank, former vice chairman of Carnival Corp. and current chair of CLIA’s board, who will be honored in the “Outstanding Cruise Executive" category.

Honorees are selected based on open nominations from CLIA's membership, followed by a review by the CLIA Trade Relations Committee.

Follow Tom Stieghorst on Twitter @tstravelweekly.

Cruise Industry Association Names Hall of Famers CLIA ANNOUNCES 2014 10TH ANNUAL CRUISE INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES Carnival Corporation’s Howard Frank, Uf Tukel & Don Walker of WMPH Vacations, and Brad & Jeff Tolkin of World Travel Holdings to be Honored at cruise3sixty Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced on March 10, 2014, the inductees into the 2014 CLIA Hall of Fame. Howard Frank, Former Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer, Carnival Corporation & plc, current Chairman of the Board, Costa Crociere S.p.A, a unit of Carnival and Chairman, CLIA Board of Directors, the “Outstanding Cruise Industry Executive”; Uf Tukel and Don Walker, Co-Presidents and Founders of WMPH Vacations are “Outstanding Cruise Retailers”; and Brad and Jeff Tolkin, Co-Chairmen and CEOs of World Travel Holdings, are “Cruise Sales Innovators.” The 2014 inductees will be honored at a gala event on April 5, 2014 during the 10TH anniversary cruise3sixty conference and trade show, taking place April 2-6, 2014 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The CLIA Hall of Fame honors those individuals, past and present, whose efforts and accomplishments represent a significant contribution to, and a positive impact on, the cruise industry. Honorees are selected based on open nominations from CLIA's membership, followed by a review by the CLIA Trade Relations Committee.

“During this very special 10TH Anniversary of cruise3sixty and as we look to an exciting next decade of growth, it is particularly noteworthy that this year’s honorees have all played such significant roles in building and shaping the industry,” said CLIA President & CEO Christine Duffy. “And, they have all been among CLIA’s strongest supporters for many years,” she added.

Howard Frank, Former Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer, Carnival Corporation & plc, current Chairman of the Board, Costa Crociere S.p.A, a unit of Carnival and Chairman, CLIA Board of Directors: Outstanding Cruise Industry Executive.

Howard Frank was named chairman of Genoa, Italy-based Costa Crociere S.p.A, a division of Carnival Corporation & plc and a major force in cruising throughout Europe, Asia and South America, in January 2014.

Frank joined Carnival Corporation as Senior Vice President-Finance and Chief Operating Officer in July 1989. He has been Director, Vice Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Operating Officer of Carnival plc since 2003.

Last November, after 25 years with Carnival Corporation which included serving as Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman since 1998, Frank stepped down to serve as special advisor to the CEO and to the Chairman of Carnival Corporation & plc, which operates 10 brands that collectively operate 101 ships totaling approximately 208,000 lower berths.

Uf Tukel and Don Walker, Co-Presidents and Founders, WMPH Vacations: Outstanding Cruise Retailers.

Uf Tukel and Don Walker co-founded WMPH Vacations, a multi-branded cruise and vacation agency in Delray Beach, Fla., in 2004.

Today, WMPH, which stands for We Make People Happy, has 120 employees and operates under a number of brands including iCruise.com, AlaskaCruises.com, EuropeCruises.com and CruiseCheap.com. WMPH also provides private-label cruise fulfillment for other travel companies.

Tukel’s industry experience includes co-founding Cruise Outlet of the Carolinas in 1992 - one of the Internet’s first cruise retailers. In 1998, he sold Cruise Outlet to Travel Services International and became Vice President of Internet Marketing for TSI's cruise division.

Tukel personally has been a member of CLIA since 1992 and holds Accredited Cruise Counsellor (ACC) certification.

He has also served on CLIA’s Travel Agent Advisory Board (TAAB) representing WMPH. Walker began his career washing cars for Alamo when he was in college. He climbed the ranks and eventually became a Regional Vice President. After Alamo, Don served as Vice President for tech-start up Orbit Network, Auto Europe, and Travel Services International.

Brad and Jeff Tolkin, Co-Chairmen & CEOs, World Travel Holdings Cruise

Sales

Innovators

Brad and Jeff Tolkin each have more than 25 years of experience as an operating executive in the travel industry. Prior to co-founding World Travel Holdings in 2005, the Tolkins owned and operated Travel Impressions, one of the country's most successful privately-held travel wholesalers. In 1992, the Tolkins acquired Empress Travel, a retail travel agency with 40 stores, and expanded the chain to include more than 100 locations.

In only nine years, the Tolkins have grown World Travel Holdings to become the world’s leading cruise agency building a portfolio of more than 35 owned and partner cruise brands including agencies in the UK. The company’s positive impact on the cruise industry’s

success has been recognized this year by two of the largest cruise lines with their highest honors — Norwegian Cruise Line’s Elite Agency of the Year and Royal Caribbean International’s President’s Award for Overall Achievement.

Under the Tolkins’ leadership, World Travel Holdings has been recognized as cruise sales innovators for its creative marketing efforts and customer loyalty initiatives. Also, its innovative employee engagement programs have won the company top honors as Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces for three years in a row.

The 2014 gala CLIA Hall of Fame Dinner is a centerpiece of cruise3sixty, following three days of general sessions, newly revamped educational seminars and workshops, a record 24 ship inspections, a trade show and other professional development and social events. A highlight of the Hall of Fame evening will showcase performances of shipboard entertainment offered by Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.

http://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=183:awards-to-be-presented-at-aprilgala&Itemid=60

CLIA President and Ceo Christine Duffy Discusses Growth Of European Cruise Market at ITB Berline Conference Published on : Friday, March 7, 2014

Today Christine Duffy, President and CEO of the cruise industry’s global trade association – Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) – delivered remarks at one of the world’s largest travel and tourism conventions, the annual ITB conference in Berlin, Germany.

In her speech, Duffy outlined the tremendous growth the cruise industry has witnessed both in Europe and globally and detailed the positive economic impact of the cruise industry in Europe.

In 2013, CLIA member lines welcomed 21.3 million guests worldwide, and the industry anticipates this will grow to 21.7 million guests in 2014. A recent study shows cruising contributes over $100 billion to the global economy, supports more than 775,000 jobs, and pays $32.5 billion in wages.

“The cruise industry has a long and proud history in Europe – dating back to 1844 when the Peninsular & Oriental line launched the first ‘sea tours,’ bringing passengers to destinations such as Gibraltar, Malta, and Athens,” Duffy said. “In 2012, 5.7 million passengers embarked on a cruise from Europe – making Europe the second largest market for cruise passengers worldwide. CLIA Europe and our National Chapters throughout Europe are proud to represent the industry and support our members by working with various stakeholders to continue the growth of cruising in this very important market.”

Duffy highlighted the significant role the German cruise industry plays in the European market and also spoke to the cruise industry’s sustainability efforts in Europe and globally, and its work to promote and maintain a healthy planet.

“No industry has a bigger stake in maintaining a pristine environment – both in the waters we sail and the ports we visit,” Duffy explained. “We will continue to forge new paths toward a greener, more sustainable planet.”

She also pointed out that cruise lines are already testing and installing catalytic converters and scrubbers, which will greatly reduce emissions. This, Duffy noted, “will make cruising more environmentally conscious than ever before.”

Summing up the robust growth outlook for the cruise industry globally, Duffy concluded, “Our future is defined by new opportunities for growth, new ships that will broaden cruising’s appeal to even more passengers, and exciting new itineraries that will open up more ports and destinations.”

Duffy’s remarks at ITB Berlin represented her second major international speech in the past month. She also delivered the keynote address at CLIA Australasia’s inaugural cruise3sixty conference in Sydney, Australia in February, and she will kick off the thirtieth annual Cruise Shipping Miami conference, the premier annual event of the worldwide cruise industry, on March 11.

http://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/clia-president-ceo-christine-duffy-discusses-growth-european-cruisemarket-itb-berlineconference/?utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Travel%20And%20Tour%20World&utm_cont ent=Jet+Airways+celebrates+%E2%80%98International+Women%E2%80%99s+

WALL AIMS TO GIVE AGENTS A VOICE AT CLIA

by Andrew Sheivachman February 25, 2014 While travel agents have no shortage of opinions, sometimes it can feel as if their voices are not being heard by their most important partners.

Ensuring that cruise-selling agents are heard by the cruise industry is a top priority for Dwain Wall, CLIA’s new senior vice president in charge of agency and trade relations. Wall stepped in to the newly created position late last month.

The former senior vice president and general manager of World Travel Holdings’ CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. said he believes that CLIA can do more for agents and enhance its value proposition to the travel agency community.

Travel Market Report spoke with Wall about how CLIA is changing, what he plans to do for the agency community and short-term tweaks planned by the organization.

What sold you on joining CLIA in this newly created position?

Wall: What got me excited was the fact they are taking a close look at the agent engagement side of CLIA. They proved to me that they’re definitely engaged with agents. There are a number of areas we are working on to add value to the CLIA membership for agents. I felt the need for CLIA to be more engaged with agents and that my background, coming from the agency side of things, gives me a unique perspective about what agents are looking for.

What are your goals for improving the relationship between CLIA and cruise agents?

Wall: I’m hoping to make the voice of the agent heard, whether through conferences, certification classes or listening tours. I get a lot of communication from agents already. The team here is dedicated to making sure that travel agencies and travel agents are getting the services they deserve.

When agents reach out to you, what do they say? What do agents like about CLIA, and what do they think can be improved?

Wall: We hear all the time that our training and certification is second to none, and that Cruise3Sixty is the best of the best. Agents say we can tweak what we have, but don’t change too much.

But very early on [in my time at CLIA], it is my interpretation that there is a need for us to make a larger investment in the resources we provide to agents and make it simpler for them to do their jobs. We have our cruise guide online, but it’s really not in a format it should

be in.

We’re working cooperatively with the large agency groups, franchise groups, consortia, and host agency groups to help augment what they do.

Do you have a timetable for accomplishing your goals?

Wall: The good news is that CLIA has been doing a lot of research already and has been speaking with a lot of agents, travel agent leaders and cruise line partners to find out what the value proposition is and where we can enhance it. We have some key dates coming up and some key meetings with partners to talk about what we really need to do.

We need to build the kind of foundation that will resonate with the agency community, from the small two- to three-person agency to someone working with 4,000 agents. We have a role to play for every type of agent.

Are there any concrete changes agents can expect in the near future?

Wall: We’re working on a couple things, especially some changes to the agent portal on our website, making it more user-friendly and relevant. The time frame has yet to be set, but the quicker the better.

We want to do it right; we want to make sure we’re doing what agents are telling us they need. We need agents to believe in CLIA as an organization that delivers high-quality training and services.

A common criticism from agents is that CLIA is really focused on the cruise lines and not agents. What do you think?

Wall: The reason I was brought on board was to have somebody at the helm who is 100% dedicated to the trade and to making sure CLIA is meeting their needs. I’m finding from the cruise line side that they are eager to have this conversation and are eager to provide support.

We need to continue to address the issues that agents may have in the right forums and ensure that the dialogue from across industry segments helps us develop stronger offerings to agents.

Does CLIA’s new global stature change how the organization deals with agents?

Wall: We do have counterparts around the world, and we’re trying to learn from each other. A lot of the learning is coming from here, because some other countries haven’t been doing it as long as we have. Obviously, the education aspect is not that different when it comes to understanding the basics of cruising and making sure agents are knowledgeable.

http://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/Wall-Aims-to-Give-Agents-a-Voice-at-CLIA

Cruise Industry Association Names Hall of Famers CLIA ANNOUNCES 2014 10TH ANNUAL CRUISE INDUSTRY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES Carnival Corporation’s Howard Frank, Uf Tukel & Don Walker of WMPH Vacations, and Brad & Jeff Tolkin of World Travel Holdings to be Honored at cruise3sixty Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced on March 10, 2014, the inductees into the 2014 CLIA Hall of Fame. Howard Frank, Former Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer, Carnival Corporation & plc, current Chairman of the Board, Costa Crociere S.p.A, a unit of Carnival and Chairman, CLIA Board of Directors, the “Outstanding Cruise Industry Executive”; Uf Tukel and Don Walker, Co-Presidents and Founders of WMPH Vacations are “Outstanding Cruise Retailers”; and Brad and Jeff Tolkin, Co-Chairmen and CEOs of World Travel Holdings, are “Cruise Sales Innovators.” The 2014 inductees will be honored at a gala event on April 5, 2014 during the 10TH anniversary cruise3sixty conference and trade show, taking place April 2-6, 2014 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The CLIA Hall of Fame honors those individuals, past and present, whose efforts and accomplishments represent a significant contribution to, and a positive impact on, the cruise industry. Honorees are selected based on open nominations from CLIA's membership, followed by a review by the CLIA Trade Relations Committee.

“During this very special 10TH Anniversary of cruise3sixty and as we look to an exciting next decade of growth, it is particularly noteworthy that this year’s honorees have all played such significant roles in building and shaping the industry,” said CLIA President & CEO Christine Duffy. “And, they have all been among CLIA’s strongest supporters for many years,” she added.

Howard Frank, Former Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer, Carnival Corporation & plc, current Chairman of the Board, Costa Crociere S.p.A, a unit of Carnival and Chairman, CLIA Board of Directors: Outstanding Cruise Industry Executive.

Howard Frank was named chairman of Genoa, Italy-based Costa Crociere S.p.A, a division of Carnival Corporation & plc and a major force in cruising throughout Europe, Asia and South America, in January 2014.

Frank joined Carnival Corporation as Senior Vice President-Finance and Chief Operating Officer in July 1989. He has been Director, Vice Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Operating Officer of Carnival plc since 2003.

Last November, after 25 years with Carnival Corporation which included serving as Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman since 1998, Frank stepped down to serve as special advisor to the CEO and to the Chairman of Carnival Corporation & plc, which operates 10 brands that collectively operate 101 ships totaling approximately 208,000 lower berths.

Uf Tukel and Don Walker, Co-Presidents and Founders, WMPH Vacations: Outstanding Cruise Retailers.

Uf Tukel and Don Walker co-founded WMPH Vacations, a multi-branded cruise and vacation agency in Delray Beach, Fla., in 2004.

Today, WMPH, which stands for We Make People Happy, has 120 employees and operates under a number of brands including iCruise.com, AlaskaCruises.com, EuropeCruises.com and CruiseCheap.com. WMPH also provides private-label cruise fulfillment for other travel companies.

Tukel’s industry experience includes co-founding Cruise Outlet of the Carolinas in 1992 - one of the Internet’s first cruise retailers. In 1998, he sold Cruise Outlet to Travel Services International and became Vice President of Internet Marketing for TSI's cruise division.

Tukel personally has been a member of CLIA since 1992 and holds Accredited Cruise Counsellor (ACC) certification.

He has also served on CLIA’s Travel Agent Advisory Board (TAAB) representing WMPH. Walker began his career washing cars for Alamo when he was in college. He climbed the ranks and eventually became a Regional Vice President. After Alamo, Don served as Vice President for tech-start up Orbit Network, Auto Europe, and Travel Services International.

Brad and Jeff Tolkin, Co-Chairmen & CEOs, World Travel Holdings Cruise

Sales

Innovators

Brad and Jeff Tolkin each have more than 25 years of experience as an operating executive in the travel industry. Prior to co-founding World Travel Holdings in 2005, the Tolkins owned and operated Travel Impressions, one of the country's most successful privately-held travel wholesalers. In 1992, the Tolkins acquired Empress Travel, a retail travel agency with 40 stores, and expanded the chain to include more than 100 locations.

In only nine years, the Tolkins have grown World Travel Holdings to become the world’s leading cruise agency building a portfolio of more than 35 owned and partner cruise brands including agencies in the UK. The company’s positive impact on the cruise industry’s

success has been recognized this year by two of the largest cruise lines with their highest honors — Norwegian Cruise Line’s Elite Agency of the Year and Royal Caribbean International’s President’s Award for Overall Achievement.

Under the Tolkins’ leadership, World Travel Holdings has been recognized as cruise sales innovators for its creative marketing efforts and customer loyalty initiatives. Also, its innovative employee engagement programs have won the company top honors as Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces for three years in a row.

The 2014 gala CLIA Hall of Fame Dinner is a centerpiece of cruise3sixty, following three days of general sessions, newly revamped educational seminars and workshops, a record 24 ship inspections, a trade show and other professional development and social events. A highlight of the Hall of Fame evening will showcase performances of shipboard entertainment offered by Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.

http://www.ftlauderdalenews.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=183:awards-to-be-presented-at-aprilgala&Itemid=60