Press Release

From video marketing to automatic technology programs and creative marketing campaigns, Cruise Planners shines again

Coral Springs, Fla., September 7, 2018 – With nine Travel Weekly 2018 Magellan Awards to add to its awards shelf, Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, continues to pave the way for franchise companies as a MarTech powerhouse. These awards represent the combined efforts of Cruise Planners’ internal Marketing, Technology, Business Development and Training Teams who work with Cruise Planners’ nationwide network of travel advisors to develop the tools travel advisors need to be competitive in the travel industry.

Cruise Planners won nine Magellan Awards for video marketing, automatic technology programs and creative marketing campaigns.

“We see our different departments as one cohesive Home Office Team and their strengths in collaboration and development lead us to be ahead of the curve in MarTech and the recipient of nine prestigious Magellan awards,” said Vicky Garcia, COO and co-owner of Cruise Planners. “We continue to thrive and be inspired because of our incredible travel advisors who hit the ground running with every new tool we give them.”

Cruise Planners MarTech Magellan Awards:

• Gold Awards:
• Marketing Campaigns:
• Pack Your Bags, the World is Yours – Direct mail and digital campaign highlighting cruise and land vacations in bucket-list destinations around the world.
• Flavors of the World – Foodie-themed cruise multimedia campaign featuring culinary experiences and shipboard recipes to inspire travelers to “get whisked away” and take advantage of “mouthwatering offers.”
• Reflect & Renew, Direct Mail – Luxury travel campaign featuring Cruise Planners’ top high-end land-based vacations
• What Does Travel Mean to You? – Cruise Planners Summer 2017 Travel Planner magazine focusing on travel experiences with exclusive offers, editorial, interviews with industry executives and more
• Client Newsletter: Cruise Planners weekly Travel Deals email newsletter featuring cruise and land travel offers
• Website Marketing: CP Video Network powered by Trifecta in partnership with Cruise Planners hosted on travel advisors’ websites with customizable end tags filmed unique to each travel advisor
• Travel Agent Innovation: Two Alexa Skills for Cruise Planners travel advisors and consumers
• Silver Awards: 
• Marketing Campaign: Where Will Travel Take You? – Destination-focused campaign featuring offers to coincide with Cruise Line Industry Association’s Plan a Cruise Month
• Travel Agent Innovation: CP Maxx booking and management system for travel advisors integrated with major cruise lines and tour operators

What is MarTech?

MarTech – the intersection of marketing and technology – is the blending of two essential business tools to grow Cruise Planners travel advisors’ sales by making marketing efforts more effective using time-saving, intuitive technology while increasing the level of customer service and human connection travel advisors are able to provide. Cruise Planners has recently won multiple awards for its MarTech initiatives including the CLIA’s Innovator of the Year Hall of Fame Award and the International Franchise Association’s FranTech Award for Innovation.

How does MarTech benefit travel advisors?

Cruise Planners uses technology to make travel advisors’ marketing efforts more targeted and therefore more effective. When sending a direct mail piece, such as the winning “Reflect & Renew” luxury land travel piece, Cruise Planners travel advisors log into CP Maxx, a proprietary booking and management system, through which they can view their segmented lists of luxury clients as determined by CP Insights. CP Insights is designed to choose the right clients for each marketing piece based on previous purchases coupled with psychographic and demographic details allowing each campaign to reach clients with relevant, customized travel offers. All of Cruise Planners tools integrate seamlessly, making their combined usage simple and quick for the travel advisor.

“Cruise Planners is always moving forward with new tools such as voice-activated Alexa skills but also stays committed to what we know works such as beautiful direct mail pieces sent to our agents’ clients’ mailboxes,” Garcia said. “Travel is a unique industry and each year brings with it new trends and challenges our travel advisors and Home Office Team take on as they lead the way in making customers’ travel desires an incredible reality.”

Cruise Planners travel advisors and Home Office Team will come together for its annual Convention November 26-29, 2018 in Hollywood, Fla. followed by an inaugural sailing on the new Celebrity Edge. where agents will receive the latest updates on and hands-on training with Cruise Planners MarTech advancements.

About Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative

Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the travel industry. Cruise Planners operates a network of more than 2,000 franchise owners who independently book vacation and travel experiences for their clients. Headquartered in Coral Springs, Fla. since 1994, Cruise Planners supports its network of franchise owners with innovative marketing, booking and technology tools, professional development and training with the industry’s top executives. Cruise Planners and has been named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 15 consecutive years and was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology. Consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, Cruise Planners is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, has been ranked as the #1 travel franchise by Franchise Business Review for 6 years and is recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel.

Cruise Planners has achieved top producer status with every major cruise line including Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Viking Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, as well as many land vendors such as Travel Impressions and Sandals and Beaches Resorts. As an American Express Travel Representative, Cruise Planners maintains a reputation for quality and offers exclusive American Express Travel benefits such as Pay with Points. Cruise Planners has earned the American Express Travel Representative Excellence Award since 2004, as well as numerous marketing, technology, franchise and philanthropy awards including an International Franchise Association FranTech award for innovation, Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly and Travvy Awards from travAlliance media. Cruise Planners celebrates diversity and supports are troops as one of the Top 50 franchises for Veterans according to GI magazine, the Top Franchise Brand for Veterans according to Franchise Business Review, one of the Top 25 franchises for African-Americans by Black Enterprise magazine and a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association.