RESORT FOR A DAY ADDS HAWAII TO ITS PORTFOLIO OF DESTINATIONS

Cruise passengers receive 10 percent off all Kauai Day Passes through May 2017

Wilmington, Mass. (April 17, 2017) – Resort for a Day, the largest distributor of resort day-pass shore excursions and a division of World Travel Holdings, announced today that it has added Aqua Kauai Beach Resort in Kauai, Hawaii to its portfolio of resorts. To celebrate, the shore excursion company is offering an introductory promotion of 10 percent off all Kauai Day Passes booked through May 31, 2017.

The Aqua Kauai Beach Resort is located on Kauai’s eastern shore. The beachfront resort features four swimming pools with waterfalls and a waterslide, on-site dining, spa, cultural activities, live entertainment, and much more. Resort day passes in Kauai include a $30 food and beverage credit.

“We are excited to add an entirely new destination to our portfolio of shore excursion offerings,” said Lynn Walters, manager of Resort for a Day. “Kauai is the perfect island for Resort for a Day because many cruise lines spend their last two days here before returning to Honolulu. Cruise passengers are able to enjoy some downtime after a week of non-stop adventures and sightseeing, and this resort offers guests a private beach and tranquil setting for rest and relaxation.”

Resort for a Day offers resort day passes at more than 40 resorts in 21 destinations at popular ports of call giving consumers more options when choosing how they would like to spend their time at port.

For more information or to book a resort day pass, visit Resort for a Day at www.ResortforaDay.com or call your travel agent. Travel Agents interested in selling Resort for a Day passes should visit the Travel Agent Professionals page on the website.

About Resort for a Day
Resort for a Day is the largest distributor of resort day passes giving cruise customers the ability to spend the day at some of the best resorts in 21 of the most popular ports of call, including Jamaica, Cozumel, Nassau, San Juan, Bermuda, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Aruba, Hawaii and more. In addition to selling resort day passes direct to the consumer, Resort for a Day works with numerous travel agents and agencies nationwide. Resort for a Day is part of World Travel Holdings and is located in Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.ResortforaDay.com.

About World Travel Holdings
World Travel Holdings is the world’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, hotels, resort vacations, cars and luxury travel services, World Travel Holdings has a vast portfolio of licensed 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 and vacation brands in the United Kingdom. World Travel Holdings has offices in Long Island, NY; Wilmington, Mass.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Virginia Beach, Va.; Chorley, United Kingdom and Southampton, England. For more information, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com.

DAVID’S BRIDAL PARTNERSHIP EXPANDS CRUISEONE/DREAM VACATIONS AND CRUISES INC. ROMANCE PACKAGES

Brides can buy a dress and book a honeymoon all in one location

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (April 13, 2017) – The romance and wedding industry is booming, with 2.1 million Americans getting married every year according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Home-based travel franchise CruiseOne/Dream Vacations and business opportunity Cruises Inc. are capitalizing on this growing market by offering a variety of resources to its network of travel agents who specialize in this niche and are seeking innovative ways to build their presence in the community. The newest offering is a partnership with David’s Bridal and its more than 320 locations nationwide.

“David’s Bridal serves nearly 60 percent of all brides and this is a prime opportunity for our travel professionals to expand their customer base,” said Drew Daly, general manager of network engagement and performance for CruiseOne, Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. “From destination weddings to minimoons, honeymoons and babymoons, a travel agent plays a key role in several of life’s momentous occasions. This partnership also has the potential to extend beyond wedding events and can include prom, Sweet 16s and quinceañeras, and more, not to mention develop relationships with others in the wedding party such as bridesmaids and mothers of the brides.”

Participants of this program will have access to David’s Bridal customers through multiple channels. Those include having an in-store presence where agents can meet with brides before and after their dress fitting appointments, and participation in in-store events, to name a few. In addition, CruiseOne/Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. has negotiated a plethora of promotions with select vendors exclusively as part of this partnership, and will be providing participants with a Creative Kit with customizable, branded collateral for use in stores.

The David’s Bridal partnership is just one facet of the romance and wedding resources available to the CruiseOne/Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. network. Earlier this year, the home-based travel agencies formed a partnership with Honeymoon Wishes, a full-service, online honeymoon gift registry that makes it easy for travel agents to book every aspect of an engaged couple’s honeymoon, from travel to excursions whether on land or at sea. Perfect for destination weddings, CruiseOne and Dream Vacations franchise owners also have the ability to create Groups Registration websites, a tool that empowers franchisees to create and customize professional group event websites that showcase amenity options, outline payment schedule, highlight itineraries and more.

People with a passion for travel who want to learn more information about franchising opportunities with CruiseOne/Dream Vacations and business opportunities with Cruises Inc. should visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com and www.SellCruises.com.

About Dream Vacations, CruiseOne^® and Cruises Inc.^®
Dream Vacations, CruiseOne^® and Cruises Inc.^® are part of World Travel Holdings, the world’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company. The Dream Vacations and CruiseOne franchise opportunities give entrepreneurs a choice in how they want to brand their travel business, and Cruises Inc. is an independent business opportunity. Both business models provide a work-from-home opportunity to those interested in selling all types of travel experiences whether it be a cruise, resort stay or land tour. With a mission of delivering a remarkable experience, travel agents with all three brands are given premium resources to plan and create a seamless vacation experience for the customer while offering the best value. For more information on Dream Vacations and CruiseOne, visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com, like the Facebook page www.facebook.com/DreamVacationsFranchise and follow on Twitter at @Dream_Franchise. For more information on Cruises Inc., visit www.SellCruises.com and become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SellCruises.

About David’s Bridal
With more than 60 years of experience dressing women for all of life’s special occasions, David’s Bridal is built on the ideal that every woman deserves to have the wedding dress of her dreams regardless of her style preference, shape, size or budget. We believe in inclusivity, authenticity and empowerment and it is our mission to help every woman find the bridal gown that will allow her to be the best, most genuine version of herself on her wedding day. David’s Bridal is dedicated to helping each bride-to-be find her perfect dress with the assistance of online planning tools, knowledgeable stylists, and expert seamstresses who will guide her through her entire dress buying journey. With more than 300 stores located across the US, Canada, UK, Puerto Rico and a franchise location opening in Mexico City, we offer the convenience of one-stop shopping for the bride and her entire bridal party. To learn more about David’s Bridal, visit www.davidsbridal.com and connect on social media through Pinterest, Instagram, SnapChat, Facebook and Twitter.

MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR TECHNOLOGY INVESTMENT ENHANCES DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR TRAVEL AGENTS

Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. agents will reap the benefits; Dream Vacations and CruiseOne will have largest technology support team in the travel franchise industry

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (March 21, 2017) – As a record-breaking wave season comes to a close, World Travel Holdings, the world’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company, is announcing a transformative multi-million dollar technology investment in 2017 in its home-based division. This investment will be a driving force in increasing individual agent profitability for its award-winning vacation franchise brands Dream Vacations and CruiseOne, and hosted brand Cruises Inc.

“As a leader in technology, we want to continually feed the successes we have seen from our previous technology investments and the way to do that is to invest even more in our travel agents,” said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “The success of our home-based travel agents is our only business, and we are committed to continuously increasing our support, investments and resources so we can provide the best technology in the industry.”

In 2017 the size of the IT team will significantly increase, providing Dream Vacations and CruiseOne with the largest technology team and the best support staff to agent ratio in the travel franchise industry. These additional IT professionals will allow the company to continue accelerating current initiatives, simultaneously creating cutting-edge solutions and best-in-class technology, giving the travel agency network a significant lead over the competition.

“We continue to build upon our level of innovation and my team has already exceeded agent expectations in creating the technology we currently offer our agents. They are excited to welcome new experts to the team and work with them to take our technology offerings to the next level,” said Sandi Szalay, vice president of information technology for Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “People are using travel agents more than ever so it is important that we continue to provide our home-based travel businesses with the latest advanced technology solutions. What we have on the horizon will really ‘wow’ our network of agents and enable them to maximize their time cultivating relationships and selling dream vacations.”

World Travel Holdings has been making incremental multi-million dollar technology investments since 2014, which has garnered many accolades and experienced success with proven results. For example, franchise owners who use the groups registration tool to build customized professional websites have experienced, on average, more than 50 percent sales growth than those who have not used the tool. Cruise Fare Watch has monitored millions of dollars in price drops and made it easier for agents to offer their customers the option to upgrade at no additional cost. The eQuote tool has created greater efficiencies in the sales process contributing to a double-digit increase in sales year-over-year since introduced.

“I constantly strive to seek ways to use technology to advance my franchise with the ultimate goal of added sales,” said Mike Ziegenbalg, Dream Vacations franchise owner in Jasper, Ga. and chair of the IT Committee. “I am confident that as a result of this investment in our IT department, we have the best technology tools at our disposal for now and more importantly the future. As a travel franchise owner, that is one less thing for me to have to worry about in this ever-changing travel environment.”

Existing travel agents and those who are passionate about travel with an entrepreneurial spirit who are interested in starting a travel agency, should visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com or call 888-249-8235 for information about the Dream Vacations and CruiseOne travel franchise opportunity. For more information on the Cruises Inc. business opportunity, visit www.sellcruises.com or call 888-462-4992.

VILLAS OF DISTINCTION® GIVES CUSTOMERS UP TO $2,000 WITH ALL 2017 BOOKINGS

Clients can add extras to their villa rental stay on Villas of Distinction’s dime

Wilmington, Mass. (March 15, 2017) – Villas of Distinction_®, the world’s premier luxury villa rental company as part of World Travel Holdings, is offering an exclusive deal that adds even more value to a villa vacation. Clients who book any Villas of Distinction villa from now until April 14, 2017, for travel until December 31, 2017, will receive up to $2,000 to spend on any amenities booked through our villa concierges from private chef services, cooking lessons, golf tee times and massages to a vacation explorations like private yacht sail in Turks and Caicos, a zipline adventure in Mexico, wine tours in Tuscany and much more.

“It’s true. Up to $2,000 of our clients’ added services and amenities are on us,” said Steve Lassman, vice president villa product & agency relations for Villas of Distinction. “This is the most robust offer that we have ever provided. At Villas of Distinction, we do more than book a villa. Every client receives a personal concierge who creates a customized vacation to fit any desire, and this offer allows our clients to take advantage of these experiences on us.”

The amount received is based on the value of the booking excluding the security deposit. Here is what can be earned:

$0 – 5,000 receives $100
$5,001 – 10,000 receives $200
$10,001 – 25,000 receives $500
$25,001 – 50,000 receives $1,000
$50,000+ receives $2,000

For more information and terms and conditions, visit the Add Extras To Your Vacation – On Us pageon VillasofDistinction.com or call 1-800-289-0900 to speak to a Villa Specialist.

About Villas of Distinction_®Villas of Distinction_®, as part of World Travel Holdings, is an award-winning, full-service premier luxury villa provider with an extensive portfolio of thousands of privately-owned villas in more than 50 luxurious destinations including the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Europe, Central America, the Continental United States and many private islands. Most villas feature private pools, butlers, maids and chefs. The luxury provider has gained its clients’ trust by ensuring every villa meets strict standards so that each home exceeds the guest’s expectations. For more than 25 years, Villas of Distinction’s team of experts have made vacation planning effortless by helping travelers find their perfect vacation home, and creating one-of-a-kind getaways and lasting memories at the world’s top villas. www.VillasofDistinction.com.

TRAVEL AGENTS WIN NATIONAL BUSINESS AWARD IN CELEBRATION OF WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

Dream Vacationsand Cruises Inc.honor female agents with OPAL Award for leadership and community service

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (March 8, 2017) – Leading home-based travel agencies Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc.^® celebrate Women’s History Month in March by honoring a female vacation specialist with the OPAL Award for Women. The company has named Dream Vacations Franchisee Lainey Melnick and Cruises Inc. Vacation Specialist Lori Foster the 2017 recipients of this prestigious award.

The OPAL Award recognizes a female franchise owner and independent vacation specialist who demonstrate Outstanding Performance And Leadership. The honoree is active in community and civic organizations, is among Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc.’s top selling agents and has exhibited strong business skills.

“This year’s nominations were the best we have ever seen and it is heartwarming to see that so many of our home-based travel agents are committed to serving their communities and inspiring others within our network,” said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. “Lainey and Lori truly exemplify the spirit of the OPAL Award and Women’s History Month.”

A resident of Austin, Texas, Melnick has been a Dream Vacations (previously CruiseOne) franchise owner since 2011. An outspoken advocate for Dream Vacations, she participates in numerous activities which demonstrate leadership while mentoring other franchisees, motivating them and sharing in each other’s success. Giving back is a cornerstone of Melnick’s personal and professional life; she leads by example with a commitment to public service. She volunteers with her children and also donates travel resources to a plethora of organizations primarily focusing on support of education and the arts. In recognition of Melnick’s dedicated efforts and contributions to the Austin community, U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett presented her with the True Blue Medallion Award at the Travis County Unity Celebration.

Foster has been a Cruises Inc. vacation specialist in San Clemente, Calif. for eight years and as a result of her teaching background, has made education her mission both within the Cruises Inc. network and in her community. She is active in both of her children’s schools in the classroom; library; PTA; and MAKO Foundation, which raises supplemental funds for the public elementary school which are allocated where the children need it most from purchasing computer labs to hiring instructional aides. She also oversees Mission Trips to Mexico benefiting Rancho Sordo Mudo in Valle de Guadalupe. As a Cub Scout Den Leader, Foster’s Den was the first in Orange County, Calif. to win the prestigious NOVA and Supernova Awards, which exposes Cub Scouts to science, technology, engineering and mathematics through fun activities.

Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. is committed to being “Rich in Diversity” and empowers all owners, agents and employees to reach their highest potential by leveraging their broad range of talent, experiences, personalities, viewpoints and ideas to generate business growth. Dream Vacations cruise franchise was recently recognized by Franchise Business Review as a Top Franchise for Womenbased on feedback from 6,400 female franchisees representing 300 brands who were surveyed about leadership, training, marketing, and financial picture.

For more information on joining these award-winning agencies, please visit www.dreamvacationsfranchise.com to learn more about owning a Dream Vacations travel franchise, and visit www.sellcruises.com to learn more about the Cruises Inc. host agency.

WORLD TRAVEL HOLDINGS NAMED TO FLEXJOBS’ 100 TOP COMPANIES TO WATCH FOR REMOTE JOBS FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW

World Travel Holdings ranks in the top 50 among companies hiring telecommuters

Wilmington, Mass. (February 9, 2017) — World Travel Holdings is proud to announce that for the third year in a row it has been named to FlexJobs’ annual list of the 100 Top Companies to Watch for Telecommuting and Remote Jobs. This list is based on an analysis of more than 47,000 companies and their telecommuting job posting histories in the FlexJobs database during 2016. World Travel Holdings is one of 100 companies that had the highest number of telecommuting job openings on the FlexJobs site in 2016. To be considered for this list, the jobs offered by these companies had to be telecommuting-friendly, either allowing for candidates to telecommute entirely or part of the time.

“Ten years ago we began transitioning to become a predominantly work-at-home company to allow us to recruit top talent for our travel agent positions, and since then we have retained many valuable employees by providing them the flexibility to work from home,” said Loren Kennedy, vice president of Human Resources for World Travel Holdings. “Our vision is to broaden horizons — both for our team and for our customers. We strive to create a very engaged workplace since more than 80 percent of our employee base works from home and we want everyone to feel part of something bigger. This satisfaction translates to a positive customer experience and ultimately can be attributed to why we are a powerhouse in the travel industry.”

In the past, World Travel Holdings has hired for jobs with telecommuting options such as Travel Professional, Customer Care Representative and Business Development Manager and has been recognized as a leader in the industry in virtually recruiting, hiring and training more than 330 employees annually.

There has been notable growth in telecommuting in recent years and the movement toward a more remote and mobile workforce is growing stronger. Continued advances in mobile and cloud workplace technologies, the workforce dominance of tech-savvy Millennials, and the financial, health, and work-life balance benefits that remote work offers both employers and workers are driving this trend. Sixty-eight percent of U.S. workers say, in the future, they expect to work remotely instead of commute to an office every day.

“The results of this year’s list are in line with the overall growth trends we’re observing in the flexible job marketplace, with increasingly diverse companies turning to the ‘TRaD’ (or telecommuting, remote, and distributed) model of work as an integrated business practice,” said Sara Sutton Fell, founder and CEO of FlexJobs. “From an even broader perspective, more people are now professionally engaged in the knowledge economy, which naturally supports jobs that can be done from home. And as more companies embrace remote work in meaningful ways, more people will have greater access to broader career and employment opportunities, creating a positive ripple effect on our economy.”

For more information, please visit www.flexjobs.com/blog/top100remote, contact Marilyn McCawley at MMccawley@wth.com, or Kathy Gardner at kgardner@flexjobs.com.

About FlexJobs
FlexJobs is the leading online service for professionals seeking telecommuting, flexible schedule, part-time, and freelance jobs. With flexible job listings in over 50 career categories, and opportunities ranging from entry-level to executive and freelance to full-time, FlexJobs offers job seekers a safe, easy, and efficient way to find professional and legitimate flexible job listings. Having helped over two million people in their job searches, FlexJobs has appeared on CNN, CNBC and Marketplace Moneyand in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TIME, Forbes, Fortune, Fast Company and hundreds of other trusted media outlets. FlexJobs’ Founder & CEO Sara Sutton Fell has also launched two additional partner sites, Remote.co and 1 Million for Work Flexibility, to help provide education and awareness about the viability and benefits of remote working and work flexibility. Sutton Fell is also the creator of The TRaD* Works Conference (*Telecommuting, Remote, & Distributed), dedicated to helping companies leverage the benefits of telecommuting, remote and distributed teams.

2017 ON PACE TO BE RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR CRUISEONE, DREAM VACATIONS AND CRUISES INC.

$1 Million in promotions, groups concierge drive agents’ success; luxury and Europe top consumers’ wish lists

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (February 9, 2017) – Monumental sales and an increase in higher-priced purchases indicate that travel agents affiliated with home-based franchise opportunity CruiseOne and Dream Vacations, and business opportunity Cruises Inc. are on track to have a record-breaking 2017. Committed to helping agents increase their individual earnings and run profitable businesses, CruiseOne/Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. continue to launch new innovations that increase the bottom line and improve efficiencies.

“Our agents’ success is our only business, so everything we do is to support our franchisees and independent agents,” said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president. “We are committed to maintaining the best support staff to agent ratios in the industry, and in 2017 we are funding more than one million dollars in marketing promotions and launching a personal concierge service to assist agents in building their groups business.”

It’s Snow Secret Promotion
It’s Snow Secret that the first exclusive promotion of the year, which offered an onboard credit on cruises and a vacation credit for resort stays, led to record-breaking sales. As a result of this headquarters-funded promotion, agents individually experienced an average of 43 percent growth in sales and a 27 percent increase in bookings. In addition, 2017 bookings exhibit that consumers are purchasing more balconies and suites, and their destination of choice is still the Caribbean, while Europe is making a strong comeback.

“The richness of the offer coupled with our agent’s engagement and utilization of marketing assets contributed to the overall success of this promotion and stellar start to 2017,” said Rosemarie Reed, vice president of sales & marketing. “Cruise lines’ shift in marketing strategies to focus on value-adds rather than price coupled with our rich exclusive promotions has resulted in consumers buying higher-priced vacation options. We expect this trend to continue through wave season and beyond, and we are thrilled because it means our agents are earning more.”

Virtual Cruise Nights
With only 20 percent of the population having been on a cruise, CruiseOne, Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. believe that educating consumers about cruising will be instrumental in gaining market share among first-timers. Continuing its support of how its network of home-based travel agents educate and attract new business, Dream Vacations is launching a series of virtual cruise nights that are hosted by General Manager Drew Daly. Cruise line representatives will have the opportunity to share the latest news on what their cruise line has to offer, while listeners will be able to take advantage of exclusive promotions. The first virtual cruise night is with Carnival Cruise Line on February 13 at 7:30 p.m. EST. Visit http://bit.ly/2loSQod to learn how to sign up.

Groups Concierge
With cruisers learning the value of booking in advance and the benefits of group travel, the new Groups Concierge will revolutionize the ease in which travel franchise owners and independent agents capitalize on this travel trend by walking them step-by-step through the entire complex process — from group acquisition, contract negotiation and marketing to closing sales, data entry, servicing and booking for groups as small as eight cabins and as large as full ship charters. “Applause to the Operations team. We have been waiting for this kind of groups support,” said Dream Vacations Franchise Owner Neil Ralph from View Park, Calif.

“We have a lot to celebrate in 2017 with all three of our agencies having an anniversary, and with this year shaping up to be one for the books,” added Fiorino. “Supporting our home-based agents has and always will remain our top priority.”

Individuals who are passionate about travel, helping others and are eager to go into business for themselves, but not by themselves are ideal candidates to become travel agents. For more information on joining these award-winning agencies, please visit www.dreamvacationsfranchise.com to learn more about owning a CruiseOne/Dream Vacations travel franchise, and visit www.sellcruises.com to learn more about the Cruises Inc. business opportunity.

MILITARY SPOUSES CAN TAKE CAREER ON THE GO BY WINNING A CRUISEONE/DREAM VACATIONS TRAVEL FRANCHISE

Through partnership with Military Spouse magazine, one military spouse will win a home-based travel franchise from CruiseOne/Dream Vacations

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (January 26, 2017) – The job hunt is over for military spouses who have difficulty finding a sustainable job as a result of frequent Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves. Home-based travel franchise CruiseOne/Dream Vacations has launched a unique contest in partnership with Military Spouse magazine where military spouses can launch a new career in the travel industry as a small business owner selling dream vacations. The contest ends Tuesday, February 28, 2017.

“Military spouses are the perfect candidates to become travel franchise owners,” said Tim Courtney, vice president of franchise development and ambassador of veteran affairs. “Owning a travel franchise such as CruiseOne/Dream Vacations affords military spouses the flexibility to start and keep a new career as they move around the world while using their personal travel experiences and connections as a foundation in growing their business.”

According to the 2016 Military Lifestyle Survey conducted by the non-profit Blue Star Families, a military family engagement organization and support network, found that less than half of military families with a civilian spouse earned two incomes and that employment is one of the top issues of concern among active duty spouses.

“Military spouses are unsung heroes and deserve recognition for the sacrifices they have made,” added Courtney. “Active duty military spouses and veterans make up nearly 35 percent of our franchise system and we are honored to have the opportunity make a difference in their lives and contribute an employment solution for spouses.”

The CruiseOne/Dream Vacations franchise contest is open to active-duty and former military spouses. Candidates will participate in two rounds of judging. First, they will participate in a phone interview with a CruiseOne/Dream Vacations franchise development specialist. Semi-finalists will be required to submit a 300-500 word essay describing why a owning a home-based travel franchise would be a valuable opportunity for their family. Twenty finalists will then be identified and one grand prize winner will be selected. To participate, candidates must complete an online entry form by Tuesday, February 28, 2017. The form and all contest details can be found at www.CruiseOneFranchise.com/military-spouse/.

The grand prize winner will be announced in May in celebration of Military Spouse Appreciation Day. The grand prize is valued at $12,700 and includes a complimentary CruiseOne / Dream Vacations franchise and weeklong franchise training at the CruiseOne/Dream Vacations’ state-of-the-art world headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In addition to the waived $9,800 initial start-up fee and monthly service fees, the winner will be reimbursed up to $500 for travel and receive complimentary accommodations during the weeklong training. Following training, the winner will be able to take the business on the road if the spouse is relocated.

“Owning a Dream Vacations travel franchise is ideal for military spouses because it is a business that can travel with you,” said Military Spouse and Dream Vacations Franchise Owner Toni Verastegui from New Orleans. “My husband is an Army officer and we have moved nine times in 15 years of marriage. I was even able to keep my business running while stationed overseas. It also is a good opportunity for spouses because military families love to travel during the limited time they have together, and knowing how to get them military rates on their vacations gives you an advantage over other agents. You also have the trust of the military family as a military spouse so they want your help with their vacation planning.”

A member of the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) VetFran initiative, CruiseOne/Dream Vacations is committed to giving back to the military community and offers many incentive programs including a 20 percent discount off the franchise fee and additional discounts for hiring former members of the U.S. military or active-duty military spouses as associates.

Consistently recognized by leading industry publications as a military-friendly franchise, CruiseOne/Dream Vacations’ accolades include a number one ranking the past three years in a row by Military Times in its “Best for Vets: Franchises” list, inclusion on G.I. Jobs annual “Hot Franchises for Veterans” the past six years and recognition by MSC Cruises in its first-ever Seaside Salute Award. Additional accolades include being named “Top 10 Military Friendly Franchise” by Forbes, “Top Veteran-Friendly Franchise” by Entrepreneur and U.S. Veterans magazines and inclusion on USA Today’s “50 Top Franchises for Military Veterans.”

CruiseOne/Dream Vacations is committed to being “Rich in Diversity” and empowers all owners, agents and employees to reach their highest potential by leveraging their broad range of talent, experiences, personalities, viewpoints and ideas to generate business growth.

Military spouses with a passion for travel and entrepreneurism who are interested in opening a CruiseOne/Dream Vacations travel franchise, please visit www.CruiseOneFranchise.com/military-spouse/ or call 888-249-8235.

About CruiseOne^®/Dream Vacations

Ranked in the top three percent of all franchises worldwide and a member of the International Franchise Association, the home-based travel franchise CruiseOne^® has been in operation since 1992, and its sister brand Dream Vacations launched in April 2016, giving franchisees a choice in how they want to brand their travel business. As part of World Travel Holdings, CruiseOne/Dream Vacations franchisees are given premium resources to plan and create a seamless vacation experience for the customer while offering the best value. CruiseOne has received partner of the year, a top-ranking status, by all the major cruise lines. For more information on CruiseOne / Dream Vacations, visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com . Like on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DreamVacationsFranchise, and follow on Twitter at @Dream_Franchise.

VILLAS OF DISTINCTION® REVEALS VILLA VACATION DESTINATION TRENDS FOR 2017

Based on booking trends, full-service premier luxury villa provider Villas of Distinction releases insight into what destinations are hot for villa vacations in 2017

Wilmington, Mass. (January 12, 2017) – Villas of Distinction_®, the world’s premier luxury villa rental company as part of World Travel Holdings, announces this year’s most sought after villa vacation destinations for 2017 based on industry insights — Italy, Hawaii, Jamaica, St. John, and Florida.

“Many of these destinations are trending as a result of increased bookings from families, in particular, multi-generational families that are choosing a villa over a resort stay,” said Steve Lassman, vice president of villa product and agency relations for Villas of Distinction. “As multi-generational family travel continues to explode, we see Orlando, Fla. as an up-and-coming destination in 2017 as families are looking for the space, privacy and value a villa provides. Families are also drawn to the value our Jamaica villas offer, which includes a full staff included in the price of the villa stay.”

Italy – “This is our strongest destination in terms of bookings,” said Lassman. “The fact that the Euro and U.S. dollar are almost on par is good for business to Europe, especially Italy. In addition, Italy continues to be a captivating destination for travelers and currently the airfare is under $1,000 per person, which makes it even more attractive.” Italy is the perfect destination to immerse in and Villas of Distinction’s personal concierge can create a customized cultural experience. View villas in Italy.

Hawaii – “Villas of Distinction is seeing substantial growth in Hawaii, in particular, the Big Island and Maui,” Lassman stated. “Vacationers who have experienced the Caribbean and are looking for an alternative warm-weather destination with breathtaking views and a slew of outdoor activities are considering Hawaii. In addition, it is always a popular bucket list destination.” View villas in Hawaii.

Jamaica – A villa vacation to Jamaica continues to provide the best value of any Caribbean villa experience. Staff including a chef, butler, housekeeper and laundress are included in the cost of most Jamaica villas. In addition, the island has so much to offer in the way of activities from snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking and horseback riding to climbing the world-famous 600-foot-high Dunn’s River Falls or enjoying Jamaica’s 27 native species at the Rocklands Feeding Station. View villas in Jamaica.

John – “Villa bookings to this area are up 20 percent year-over-year,” stated Lassman. “For people who want to stay within a U.S. territory, St. John offers the best variety of villas of the three islands, and is less frequented by first-time travelers to the U.S. Virgin Islands.” View villas in St. John.

Florida – It is no secret that Orlando, Fla. is one of the most popular destinations for families and multi-generational travelers. In 2016, Villas of Distinction added an array of villas in Orlando located in Reunion Resort and Encore Club Resort just minutes away from the major theme parks and boasting a plethora of championship golf courses designed by professional golf legends. The kid-friendly luxury homes range from 5-14 bedrooms and include amenities for everyone from private home theaters, game rooms/arcades and even a bowling alley to private swimming pools, summer kitchens and fitness rooms. View villas in Florida.

Last year’s leading villa vacation destinations were:

Colorado
Utah
Riviera Maya
Punta Mita
Dominican Republic

Travelers looking for a truly customized vacation experience planned by a full-service agency where a Villa Specialist finds the perfect destination to fit a client’s vacation desires, and a personal Concierge tailors a client’s vacation from start to finish will want to book with Villas of Distinction. For more information, visit VillasofDistinction.com or call 800-289-0900.

About Villas of Distinction_®Villas of Distinction_®, as part of World Travel Holdings, is a full-service premier luxury villa provider with an extensive portfolio of thousands of privately-owned villas in more than 50 luxurious destinations including the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Europe, the Continental United States and many private Islands. For nearly 25 years, Villas of Distinction and its team of expert concierges have been helping travelers find their perfect vacation home without a membership fee. The company takes pride in offering customized vacations to meet every imaginable need, with most villas featuring private pools, butlers, maids and chefs. www.VillasofDistinction.com.

DOUBLE-DIGIT CRUISE AND LAND SALES GROWTH FOR CRUISEONE®, DREAM VACATIONS AND CRUISES INC.®

High engagement, automated technology and innovative marketing campaigns provide
home-based travel agencies with cutting-edge tools for success

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (January 10, 2017) – Home-based travel agencies CruiseOne, Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. — which are part of World Travel Holdings, the world’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company, experienced double-digit cruise and land sales growth in 2016. This was the result of monumental investments — in a new brand, developing cutting-edge technology, implementing creative marketing and offering enhanced training opportunities, all of which inspired the network to become engaged with each other and the headquarters team to ultimately attain their common goal of driving sales.

“With only two percent of the population having taken a cruise, it is our mission to attract new cruisers and gain market share in the resort vacation business,” said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of CruiseOne, Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. “We know the industry is evolving, which is why we act for today and build for tomorrow by investing in supporting the ever-changing needs of our network. We are truly trailblazers in the industry and have revolutionized the home-based travel agent business model by recognizing that regardless of which of the three brands our agents affiliate with, they all sell dream vacations, as do our suppliers.”

Dream Vacations
The launch of experiential franchise brand, Dream Vacations, was a tremendous accomplishment and signifies a shift in the cruise agency industry ideology. Since launching in April 2016, more than 60 percent of the franchise system operates under this brand and more than 90 percent of new franchisees join the network as Dream Vacations. As a result of this new brand, Dream Vacations franchise owners are experiencing on average a 14 percent growth in their cruise business, while their land and resort business has seen a 30 percent growth, for a total sales increase of 17 percent.

Technology
Ongoing multimillion dollar investments have resulted in an Information Technology department that is at the forefront of innovation. Most notably, Cruise Fare Watch has monitored millions of dollars in price reductions and has transformed agents into vacation heroes by enabling them to upgrade their customers at no additional cost. The IT team started working closely with a committee of agents to launch new tools and resources, such as Cruise Fare Watch, that both improve and enhance the efficiencies of the home-based travel agent, making it possible for them to work from anywhere in the world on any device and browser. In addition to new technologies, there were more than 70 support releases which enhanced all facets of existing technology tools so they can be usable on all browsers and devices.

Marketing
2016 saw an all-time high participation rate with more than 82 percent of the network utilizing the marketing programs offered to them, this is an increase of 22 percent year over year. The corporate headquarters funded more than $650,000 in promotions such as “National Umbrella Drink Day,” a Food Truck Takeover, transportation credit and more, and has plans to increase this amount to more than $1 million in 2017. “This high adoption rate is an indicator that our agents who are engaged and using the resources we provide are achieving their growth goals, which once again reinforces why they are the most profitable in the industry,” said Rosemarie Reed, vice president of sales and marketing.

Training
Cruises Inc., CruiseOne and Dream Vacations offers its network of travel agents the premier training platform in the industry with a foundation based on engagement and collaboration. Beyond the traditional award-winning learning modules found in The Learning Center, agents accredit their success and competitive advantage to the multitude of opportunities they have to personally meet with their corporate support team, travel industry leaders and share their best practices with each other, whether at Regional Trainings or National Conference. In 2016, Regional Trainings experienced record attendance of more than 30 percent of the entire network participating, while National Conference also saw record engagement with more than half of the agents from all three brands aboard the Carnival Vista in December.

Drew Daly, general manager of network engagement and performance noted, “The numbers speak for themselves — this high involvement and participation rate correlates with the impressive individual agency growth across the network. We believe there is intrinsic value in having our agents fully understand the vacation experience they are selling to their customers, that is why we make significant investments each year in facilitating private ship tours and Familiarization Trips, as well hosting National Conference aboard a weeklong cruise every year.”

Philanthropy
Giving back is a keystone of World Travel Holdings and its brands and for the past six years Make-A-Wish^® has been the company’s signature charity. In 2016, agents, franchise owners and the corporate Headquarters team donated nearly $115,000, or the equivalent of granting nearly 12 wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Fundraising activities included Zumba@Sea – Dance for Wishes, Pie in the Face, exclusive access to Skyride and the silent auction during the annual National Conference, as well as corporate teambuilding events such as the annual Gift Basket Fundraiser. The team also had the opportunity to host a send-off party for a South Florida kid who wished to go to the Florida theme parks.

Network Growth
While the network continues to grow by 10 percent year over year across all brands, recruiting military veterans has become the cornerstone of recruitment efforts. In 2016, CruiseOne/Dream Vacations celebrated the fifth anniversary of its flagship program “Operation Vetrepreneur: Become Your Own General” and since 2012 has given away 25 complimentary franchises to military veterans valued at more than $317,000. “Franchising is one of the most popular career choices for military veterans when they transition out of the service and we are honored to have received national recognition as a top franchise for military veterans across all industries, including a number one ranking three years in a row from Military Times,” said Tim Courtney, vice president of franchise and network development and ambassador of veteran affairs.

In 2016, CruiseOne, Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. continued to receive prestigious accolades beyond the travel and franchise industries, confirming its dominance as a supporter of small businesses and as a top company in the Southeast. For the fifth and third consecutive years respectively, CruiseOne, Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. were recognized as a Top Private Company by South Florida Business Journal and Florida Trend, as well as a Top Workplace by Workplace Dynamics and Sun Sentinel.

“2016 was a year of amazing accomplishments and I am so proud of my team at Headquarters for all they do to support the more than 1,600 home-based travel agents who are the most passionate and profitable in the industry,” added Fiorino. “2017 is going to be a milestone year with all three of our brands celebrating significant anniversaries – Cruises Inc. 35 years, CruiseOne 25 years and Dream Vacations celebrating its first successful year in the market. I just know it will be another year for the record books.”

The companies are looking for individuals who are passionate about travel, helping others and are eager to go into business for themselves, but not by themselves. For more information on joining these award-winning agencies, please visit www.dreamvacationsfranchise.com to learn more about owning a CruiseOne / Dream Vacations travel franchise, and visit www.sellcruises.com to learn more about the Cruises Inc. business opportunity.

Year: 2017

RESORT FOR A DAY ADDS HAWAII TO ITS PORTFOLIO OF DESTINATIONS