Dream Vacations 2019 River Summit.
Home-based travel agencies Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. experience significant advances in technology, marketing and training.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – In addition to receiving top accolades confirming its powerhouse status in the travel franchise space, Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. also experienced another year of double-digit growth because their work-from-home travel agents maximize state-of-the-art tools and resources that are continuously launched by the company, enabling increased efficiencies and value to their clients resulting in increased sales.
“From technology that drove results and boots-on-the-ground marketing to interactive training and more, making personal connections was the key to our record-breaking year,” said Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager of Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “2019 set us up for even greater success so as we go into Wave Season, the momentum is strong and I’m excited to see what the team has in store for 2020.”
Efficient Land Vacation Technology
2019 resulted in a nearly 25 percent increase in land bookings over 2018 due to the creation and launch of robust land technologies, which simplify the land booking process. Also as a result of this, exponential growth in this sector is anticipated in 2020.
- Land Booking technology makes it easier to create flexible reminders and payment schedules, and is fully customizable to add robust details to invoices and transactional emails.
- Travel Planner now provides clients a vacation itinerary complete with background information on the destination; shopping, dining and excursion recommendations; and the option to chat with their travel agent in real time.
- There was a 92 percent increase in bookings with GOGO Vacations in comparison to the same time period before the launch of a technology that allows travel agents who book with GOGO Vacations to effortlessly capture the reservation details with a click of a button, automatically dropping the booking information directly into the company’s proprietary booking system, My Cruise Control.
Targeted Marketing
In 2019, the marketing team took a targeted approach in spreading brand awareness about Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.
- As a result of hosting its first-ever Cruise & Travel Show in Charleston, S.C., and partnerships with local organizations in New Orleans, La., Dream Vacations saw a 160 percent return on investment. In Charleston, more than 800 people attended the event with more than 9.4 million impressions during the two-month campaign blitz promoting the event and the Dream Vacations brand. In 2020, Dream Vacations plans to return to Charleston and New Orleans, and expand to other markets.
- Niche marketing is a focus for 2020 and to close out 2019, the Command Center launched, kicking off this initiative. The Command Center provides a plethora of marketing and training resources so agents can more effectively market to the military community.
Immersive Training
Studies show the best way to learn and sell a product is to experience it, and in 2019 the Immersive Educational Series expanded with the inaugural river cruise summit aboard the AmaLea in March 2019, with 150 travel agents in attendance. Attendees are already seeing a double-digit spike in river cruise sales. On the horizon in 2020, the series expands with a Marketing Summit that will expose attendees to innovative techniques, as well as traditional and non-traditional methods in how they can promote their business.
Philanthropy
Giving back is a cornerstone of Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. and making a difference in the lives of others is always top of mind.
- In 2019, agents, franchise owners and the corporate Headquarters team donated more than $131,000 to its signature charity Make-A-Wish, or the equivalent of granting 13 wishes for children with critical illnesses.
- Dream Vacations awarded five veterans with free franchises as part of the award-winning Operation Vetrepreneur program, which has given away a total of 42 free franchises since the program’s inception in 2012.
- After Hurricane Dorian, the travel agency made monetary donations to the funds that Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International created, as well as sponsored an in-office supply drive which delivered items to a Carnival Cruise Line Hurricane Dorian donation location.
Prestigious Accolades
2019 was a banner year for Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., with the travel agency businesses winning prominent awards re-affirming its dominance in franchising, and as a supporter of veterans and small business owners.
- Franchise satisfaction is at an all-time high as evident by the “Best in Category” distinction awarded to Dream Vacations/CruiseOne for the second year in a row by Franchise Business Review, as a result of exceeding the travel and hospitality standards in a satisfaction survey.
- Entrepreneur ranked Dream Vacations as number one for veterans, and the veteran-friendly franchise has secured the top two spots for three years in a row.
- For the eighth consecutive year, Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. were recognized as a Top Private Company by South Florida Business Journal, a finalist in the publication’s Business of the Year awards, as well as securing the title of Top Workplace in South Florida by Energage and Sun Sentinel.
- Renowned for its forward-thinking, Dream Vacations won the Franchise Innovation Award from Franchise Update magazine and was named a Top 100 Game Changer by Franchise Dictionary magazine
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
