Agents who sell upscale cruises can receive a helpful boost. Celebrity Cruises will launch an online training program Wednesday that certifies travel agents to become experts in selling the line's cruise vacations. The multi-tiered program, titled “Celebrity Five-Star Academy,” features five stages of training and testing in which agents receive a star each level they pass.
Travel agencies that pass all five tiers will be certified as a Celebrity Five-Star Agency. The full, five-tier certification provides agencies with a featured spot in the Celebrity's online travel agent locator tool, vouchers for various tools that can help increase business as well as extra chances to win cruises, co-op funds and training opportunities for themselves and/or their agency.
In the first (One-Star) level, agents receive an overview of Celebrity Cruises’ history, fleet, guests, destinations and services. Upon completion of the training and a score of over 80 percent on the test, agents earn the designation of being a Celebrity One-Star Agent.
The second and third levels, launching in October and November, will cover dining, accommodations, Celebrity’s Star Treatment, spa services, and destinations’ specific ports of call. Levels four and five will follow, consisting of training on all the tools Celebrity offers travel agents in the areas of business development and selling Celebrity’s cruise vacations.
Visit www.celebrity5staracademy.com.