Robust multi-part training educates advisors about traveling safely in a COVID-19 world
Wilmington, Mass. (March 11, 2021) – With a mission of delivering a remarkable experience, the nation’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company is committed to training its travel agents to be the most knowledgeable in the industry when it comes to traveling safely in a COVID-19 world. World Travel Holdings recently launched its Travel Safety Program, which is a robust training program exclusively available to its travel advisors who service customers across all 40 diverse brands, including CruisesOnly, Cruises.com and CheapCruises.com, among others, as well as its franchise brands CruiseOne® and Dream Vacations, and business opportunity Cruises Inc.® More than 1,000 travel advisors are in the process of completing the training and earning the status of Travel Safety Verified.
“The Travel Safety Training Program embodies what we stand for as a travel agency,” said Loren Kennedy, senior vice president of Customer Care and Human Resources at World Travel Holdings. “Arming our agents with the knowledge and tools they need to provide the best service possible to our customers is just another example of how we deliver on our mission to deliver remarkable experiences. There is so much more customers need to know when traveling now, using an experienced agent is crucial. This program instills confidence in both our agents and our customers.”
In order to become Travel Safety Verified, travel advisors must have completed the first two phases of the training, which covered health and safety best practices while traveling; travel protection health policies; safety protocols in place at resorts, airlines and cruises; and how to address customer concerns for various scenarios. Additional phases will be added to address how to sell in the current environment, marketing with empathy, and updated policies and guidelines for when cruising does return. Other aspects of the Travel Safety Program include special Travel Safety landing pages on consumer websites and additional marketing and sales tools that assists advisors in planning safe vacations for their customers.
“During this pandemic, it has become clear that travelers value the personalized attention and relationships that working with a trusted travel advisor provides,” said Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager of Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “By choosing to become Travel Safety Verified, our advisors have demonstrated their commitment to continuing their education and providing a higher level of customer service.”
“The role of the travel advisor has drastically changed, and the pandemic has demonstrated the importance of using an advisor,” said Ellen Overcast, Dream Vacations franchise owner and vacation specialist in Kutztown, Pa. “Now that I am Travel Safety Verified, I have confidence when speaking with clients who have questions about traveling and all the protocols and restrictions. In fact, several clients mentioned that when they are ready to book their next vacation they will call me because they know I’ll be able to help them navigate through it.”
For more information about World Travel Holdings and its brands, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com.
About World Travel Holdings
World Travel Holdings is the nation’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company with a portfolio of more than 40 diverse brands. In addition to owning some of the largest brands distributing cruises, villas, resort vacations, car rentals, resort day passes and luxury travel services, World Travel Holdings has a vast portfolio of private-label partnerships comprised of top leisure travel providers, including almost every U.S. airline, leading hotel brands and prominent corporations. The company also operates a top-rated travel agency franchise and the country’s original host agency, and is consistently recognized as an industry leader in work-at-home employment. Its global presence includes operating multiple cruise brands in the United Kingdom. World Travel Holdings has offices in Wilmington, Mass.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and Chorley, England. For more information, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com.
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