Cruise Holidays – the world’s most far-reaching cruise franchise network – showed off a new look for its consumer-facing marketing materials, updated franchise owners on the success of their recent Facebook sweepstakes, and rolled out or announced the expansion of several programs designed to attract and retain clients, all during Cruise Holidays’ 2013 Mid-Year Meeting, held on April 12-14, 2013.

Updated Website & Marketing Materials
Cruise Holidays’ website, http://www.cruiseholidays.com, is receiving a makeover, along with the franchise network’s consumer-facing email communications and printed brochures. Cruise Holidays is adding new written content areas – including professionally-written cruise reviews – designed to attract and retain site visitors’ attention. Printed brochures that Cruise Holidays sends to clients on behalf of franchise owners will also evolve to better attract clients’ attention.

Facebook Sweepstakes
Cruise Holidays continues to train a base of franchise owners with diverse skill sets on Facebook marketing techniques, and recently wrapped up its second franchise-wide Facebook sweepstakes. This March, more than 40 franchise owners participated in the sweepstakes, giving consumers the chance to win a free AmaWaterways European river cruise for two. The sweepstakes was available via desktop as well as through mobile devices – important because daily usage of Facebook via mobile now exceeds desktop usage.

Cruise Holidays provided comprehensive training for the participating franchise owners, including how to install the sweepstakes app on each of their pages, a complete graphics package and one-on-one coaching throughout the month so franchise owners could maximize their marketing efforts. More than 20,000 people registered for the sweepstakes, with 97% of those entries coming from Facebook.

Cruise Holidays Hosted Cruise Program & Cruise Holidays Cruise Values
On the operations front, Cruise Holidays unveiled a new hosted cruise program that provides its clients with three distinct advantages. Each sailing comes with the services of a concierge host, a private cocktail reception and an exclusive shore event at no additional cost. Cruise Holidays is currently partnering with eight cruise lines in this new program: two contemporary, and three premium and three luxury cruise lines.

“At the heart of it, we are a cruise franchise network, and that remains our core business,” said Tom Baumann , President of Travel Leaders Leisure Group, which Cruise Holidays is a part of. “But to increase our competitive edge, we are increasing our portfolio of programs that more easily enable our cruise experts to serve as full-service, end-to-end travel professionals. The programs we’re providing are turnkey, allowing them to spend less time researching and more time selling,” added Baumann.