CLIA ADDS NEW TRAVEL AGENT ASSOCIATE PROGRAM FOR 2004
'Travel Agent Associate' Designed to Reach and Support Outside/Independent Agents

Initial response to Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) new Travel Agent Associate membership program for outside/independent travel agents has been very positive.

The Travel Agent Associate program was initiated at the start of 2004 to broaden CLIA’s reach of cruise sellers and enable CLIA to communicate more efficiently with an important cruise distribution segment that, up to this point, had been difficult to recognize and reach.

“Among the many changes that we have seen in the travel agent distribution system in recent years has been the enormous growth in the number of ‘outside agents’ and ‘independent contractors’ – agents operating home-based businesses as a ‘franchise’ of an agency network or with contracts with one or more retail travel agency locations,” says Bob Sharak, CLIA’s executive vice president, chief marketing officer.

“Since important communications from CLIA and its member lines typically are delivered to agency owner/managers only, these ‘outside’ agents may be missing out on a great deal of information relevant to their business,” says Sharak. “The Travel Agent Associate program helps us to fill that void and to ensure that this important group of cruise sellers has access to current CLIA and cruise industry information to help them be more successful sellers of travel.”

CLIA Travel Agent Associates will receive ongoing E-mail news, promotional announcements and updates directly from CLIA and CLIA member lines. This provides greater communications efficiency for the Agent Associate and the CLIA-member travel agency, as they won’t have to rely on someone in the agency office to forward the information,” says Sharak.

In addition to the benefits of recognition and communication, CLIA is enhancing its popular “Cruise Expert Agent Locator” feature on the association’s website at www.cruising.org to allow cruise prospects to find a local CLIA Travel Agent Associate via a zip code search. The search results listing will provide the contact information for the CLIA Travel Agent Associate and reference the CLIA member agency with which that agent is affiliated. With several million site visitors per year, the feature provides a lead referral and sales benefit for the Travel Agent Associate and the CLIA-member travel agency alike.

This program is a recognition, communication and marketing support initiative for the legions of outside and independent agents and their CLIA-member agencies that are engaged in the sale of cruises and leisure travel. This program does not involve the issuance of a CLIA identification number – that continues to be reserved for the CLIA travel agency category. In fact, the owner/manager of record of a CLIA member travel agency will receive notification of each agent affiliated with their respective agency who enrolls as a CLIA Agent Associate.

In order to qualify as a Travel Agent Associate, an agent must be aligned with a CLIA agency member. The annual $99 dues entitle the Associate to receive the following benefits:

Agent Associate enrollment is now being accepted pending host agency CLIA membership renewal. The Agent Associate “dues year” will be a 12-month period from March 15, 2004 through March 14, 2005. Enrollment applications will be available online at the Travel Agent Center on CLIA’s website, www.cruising.org, or via CLIA’s Fax-by-Phone service at 1-800-372-CLIA (2542).