With the New Year well underway, Avoya Travel and Expedia CruiseShipCenters are reporting strong signs of growth for 2017 and the early part of 2018.
January was Avoya’s best month in company history, with over $50 million in booked sales. That represents a 25 percent year over year increase over January of last year. According to Avoya, customers are also booking further out (another sign pointing to growth), with a 20 percent increase for 2018 departures and an increase of over 50 percent for 2019 departures. Finally, January sales from independent agencies newly affiliated with the Avoya Network have doubled as compared to last year.
Expedia CruiseShipCenters says that it posted 20 percent year over year growth in 2017, opening 25 new franchise locations and welcoming 1,773 new travel agents. Looking ahead to 2018, the brand expects to open 35 new franchises, with a particular focus on Florida, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Washington and Arizona.
“While Avoya Travel has continued to break year-over-year sales records, January 2018 was an extraordinary new milestone for us,” said Jeff Anderson, executive vice president of Avoya Travel, in a written statement. “Our sales increases indicate that the platform we’ve implemented is helping more independent agencies in the Avoya Travel Network reach new levels of success for their businesses and we are optimistic that this momentum will continue through 2018 and beyond.”
“As the industry continues to thrive, with fleets expanding and new lines being introduced to the waters, we're eager to play an integral part of this booming business while continuing to welcome new franchise partners and vacation consultants to our expanding network,” said Matthew Eichhorst, president of Expedia CruiseShipCenters.
Related Stories
Trisept Redesigns VAX Vacation Access Travel Agent Platform
Carnival Names Travel Agent Advisory Committee for 2018
NCLH Reports Record 2017 Earnings & Higher Priced Advance Bookings