Editorial

Plan dream vacations, achieve a dream lifestyle!

Cruise Holidays - <a href='http://www.bison.com/Travel_Franchises' style='font-weight:normal;'>Travel franchises</a> for Sale

Helping others plan a dream vacation could help you achieve a dream lifestyle! The cruise industry is booming, and if you’ve ever taken a cruise you know why: exotic ports of call, fabulous food, a spa ambience with Las Vegas excitement, all combined with the comfort of hundreds of highly trained personnel meeting your every need. What could be better?

Marni Pietrzak, Director of Franchise Development for Cruise Holidays, says that not only are more people than ever taking cruise vacations but the cruise lines themselves are growing. Between 2006 and 2008 there will be 20 new cruise ships launched. Royal Caribbean , one of the premier cruise lines, will be launching Freedom of the Seas, a new 160-ton ship in May, and it will be the largest cruise ship in the world – but only for a while. They’ve already announced plans for an even larger ship, Genesis, for the fall of 2009.

Cruise Holidays <a href='http://www.bison.com' style='font-weight:normal;'>franchise</a> Profile Why are people taking cruises? One reason may have to do with the change in the travel industry since 9/11. People are more afraid of flying, says Pietrzak, but cruising offers them a feeling of safety as well as convenience. In fact, since 2001 the country has grown from four ports to 16 ports, making it easier for people to drive to a port rather than fly.

One of the fastest growing trends in cruising is multi-generational travel, such as weddings and family reunions. The ships themselves offer something for everyone, from climbing walls and teen discos, to children’s adventure programs and live entertainment. Adults can enjoy the night life and casinos or just bask in the sun by a turquoise pool.

For all these reasons and more, says Pietrzak, owning a Cruise Holidays
franchise is a great idea. Founded in 1984, Cruise Holidays (headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota ) now has 30 stores in Canada and 100 in the U.S. and expects continued growth. “Just between 2003 and 2004, the cruise industry grew by 11% ad yet we know that only 12% o the population has cruised,” says Pietrzak. “That leaves a huge untapped market.”

Cruise Holidays Franchise Profile The target demographic for a Cruise Holidays’ client is someone 25 years or older with an income of $40,000 plus. Cruising offers a great value for your dollar and lets you experience a variety of locations without constant packing and unpacking. Cruises’ customer satisfaction rate is the highest in travel, at 80 %. /font>

Cruise Holidays stores are located in high-traffic strip malls and are perfect for a husband-wife team, or an owner with a partner or employee. While a storefront presence is necessary, it is not because a franchisee will have much walk-in clientele. “What happens in our industry is that we build ‘top-of-mind’ presence when people pass our store on a daily basis.

Then, when they start thinking of vacations, the Cruise Holiday name comes immediately to mind,” says Pietrzak. “We’ve started to have phone numbers put on our signage because so many people call in to get cruise information as they drive by.

“One question we often get,” continues Pietrzak, “is, ‘Why would anyone use one of your stores when they could just book a cruise over the internet?’ The reason is that the cruise purchase is very complex. Not only does each cruise line cater to a different clientele, the cruise ships within a cruise line may cater to different clientele, and then the consumer has a magnitude of itineraries to choose from. Imagine the 20-something couple who find themselves on a ship where the next youngest person is eligible for social security. We can match the consumer’s interests with the perfect cruise, whether their interest is golfing, shopping, or swimming with the dolphins. Our franchisees know the advantages and atmosphere of each cruise line and each destination.”

Cruise lines offer abbreviated trips to our sales consultants and franchisees called “inaugurals” where they can experience the ships and ports and can give advice from actual experience. Cruise Holidays offers continuous learning experiences for their franchisees, including Cruise University, Webinars, learning at sea, conventions, and regional meetings. They also hold yearly national meetings aboard a cruise ship and yearly networking opportunities, also on a ship. The networking opportunities are planned and taught by other franchisees, so one can learn from the success of their peers.

How does Cruise Holidays compete with other travel agencies? “We specialize in cruising so we know more about cruise vacations than other companies,” says Pietrzak. “Also, because we are part of Carlson Companies, which includes Carlson Wagonlit Travel^®, we have significant buying power. We contract with cruise lines up to a year or more in advance for space, which allows us to offer substantially lower prices to our clients.”

If you have a passion for travel and would like a career helping others plan their dream vacations, this may be the perfect opportunity for you to realize your own dream of business ownership. Cruise Holidays franchisees benefit from excellent training and support, high brand recognition, and happy,
repeat customers.