Crystal Removes Charge for Agent Training

Travel agents interested in learning how to sell Crystal Cruises now have the opportunity to enroll in the cruise line's agent training program at no cost. The luxury operator announced on Tuesday that its online sales training program, Crystal Cruises Academy, was now accessible on a complimentary basis. The program educates agents on how to successfully sell Crystal cruises through interactive e-learning workshops. Higher commissions and returning business could result from certification, according to Michael von Wittenau, Crystal's director of business development. "Becoming a Crystal specialist is a realistic and profitable goal for travel agents," he says, also calling attention to the fact that nearly 70 percent of Crystal's guests moved up from mass market or premium lines. Free training allows more than one agent at an agency the ability to become a Crystal specialist, and gives the same opportunity to home-based agents who before may have not been able to budget for the coursework. Crystal says that agents who previously anted up the $30 fee for the classes during the original July 2006 launch will retain the $100 bonus commission certificate they received, which is redeemable after their first new-to-Crystal booking made within six months of course completion. To register for the classes, visit [www.crystalcruisesacademy.com].