Cruise Planners Travel Advisor Named First-Ever Global Top Producer with Viking Cruises
Roswell, GA. (PRWEB) December 18, 2015 -- At the Travel + Leisure event to celebrate Viking Cruise’s success as the world’s best river cruise line according to Travel + Leisure readers, Cruise Planners franchise owner in Roswell, GA., Michael Consoli, was the surprise recipient of a new award.
In November, Consoli was awarded top producer for Viking with Cruise Planners at the company’s annual convention in Florida, but little did he know that he would also be honored as the first-ever top Global Producer for Viking Cruises. Last night, at The Clocktower restaurant at The New York Edition hotel, he was presented the award by Michelle Saegesser, Vice President of Sales at Viking Cruises.
“It was a surprise and quite an honor to be named Viking’s top producer globally,” Consoli said. “I love working closely with the amazing team at Viking and have focused heavily on river cruise sales, promoting the line’s unique itineraries and learning about and experiencing their newest ships. Viking is growing and I am happy to help support that growth.”
This is the first-time ever the river cruise line has awarded a global honor to an individual travel professional. For the past few years, Consoli has focused on growing his river cruise business, and he plans to continue building on that niche.
"Michael Consoli is the consummate professional,” said Michele Saegesser, Vice President of Sales at Viking Cruises. “He understands the needs of his clients and is never afraid to offer new product to expand their travel views. What makes Michael's accomplishment the most admirable is he is an independent owner who sells his service and knowledge without discounting his value or rebating. We are all very proud to work with Michael and support his efforts."
Consoli has been a Cruise Planners franchise owner for 13 years and started with no travel industry experience – just a passion for travel. Cruise Planners is the nation’s largest network of home-based travel agents who independently book amazing vacation and travel experiences for their clients and Consoli continues to be a leader within the network.
“Michael is an ideal franchise owner and by embracing all of Cruise Planners’ training and support he has really excelled,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of the Cruise Planners franchise network. “As a franchise owner, he has received numerous awards and earned the status of American Express Travel Insider. He is a great example of how someone with strong people skills and a passion for travel can create wonderful travel experiences for their clients, build a successful business and receive top accolades from our travel partners. Talk about breaking boundaries — he won an award that didn’t even exist last year.”
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 1,400 franchise owners who independently book amazing vacation and travel experiences for their clients. The Florida-based Home Office Team positions franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing, booking and lead-generating tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industry’s top executives. The company continues to be lauded and has been named the No.1 Cruise Tour / Travel Agency by Entrepreneur magazine for 13 consecutive years. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is listed on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America and was recognized as one of the “Top Workplaces” by The Sun Sentinel.
Headquartered in Coral Springs, Fla. with more than 22 years of experience, Cruise Planners has achieved top producer status with every major cruise line. Accolades include numerous Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly for the past seven years, American Express Travel Representative Excellence Award for 11 consecutive years (2004 – 2014), American Express Agency of the Year (2010), Royal Caribbean International President’s Award for Overall Achievement (2012 and 2014), Royal Caribbean International Home-Based Partner of the Year (2007 – 2013), Norwegian Cruise Line Franchise Agency of the Year (2011-2015), Celebrity Cruises Field Sales Account of the Year (2015), Celebrity Cruises Home-Based Account of the Year (2013-2014) and Celebrity Cruises Southeast Region Travel Agent Partner of the Year (2010), American Express Vacations Best of the Best Globe Award (2008 – 2015), Globus Family of Brands Premier Agency Partner (2009- 2014), Platinum Member of the 500 Club for Sales Excellence (2014), Platinum Circle Member with Viking River Cruises (2009-2012), Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection Top Producer (2008-2014) and Regent Seven Seas Cruises Top Producer. Cruise Planners is one of the Top 50 franchises for Veterans according to GI magazine, the Top Franchise Brand for Veterans according to Franchise Business Review, has been named one of the Top 25 franchises for African-Americans by Black Enterprise magazine and is a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. For more information, visit http://www.cruiseplanners.com.
Stay in Touch: Media can stay up-to-date with Cruise Planners by visiting our media room, following us on Twitter @Cruisitude or on Facebook. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers should locate a travel advisor near them. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit our franchise site.
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Caitlin Murphy, Cruise Planners, http://www.cruiseplanners.com, +1 (954) 344-8060 Ext: 117, [email protected]
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