Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced this week it’s formed a new alliance with the Professional Travel Agents of North America (PTANA) organization. The organization joins CLIA as a 2017 Premier Member and has committed to 100 percent CLIA membership adoption among its nearly 150 travel agencies and 600 travel agents across 10 chapters nationwide.
The new alliance, which has been more than a year in the making, will allow PTANA travel professionals to access CLIA’s professional development and certification programs, which has become the official training of the cruise industry. The training will allow PTANA agents to grow their cruise sales volumes. PTANA has said its intent through the alliance is for its agencies and agents to be the best trained, most professional representatives of the global cruise industry today, helping the over thousands of consumers they already serve.
“It’s all about the relationship, with our partners, our members, our clients, and now with CLIA,” said Lila Nicholas, the national chairperson of PTANA. “This unprecedented alliance will ensure PTANA agencies and agents are empowered with professional development tools and resources that are the gold standard for the cruise industry and will help PTANA members increase their cruise sales while creating more satisfied and loyal cruise clients.”
The alliance will come in addition to the PTANA education forums and networking opportunities the company already provides its agents and agencies with. Each PTANA chapter hosts monthly seminars that provide its members with new selling techniques and up-to-date product and destination information. It’s this sense of upkeep that made CLIA interested in a partnership with PTANA.
“PTANA has proven themselves to be a valuable member of the cruise industry and I look forward to seeing them thrive as a new Premier Member of CLIA,” said Cindy D’Aoust, president and CEO of CLIA. “This alliance further underscores CLIA’s commitment to the travel professional community and our mission to be the unified voice for the industry.”
For more information on the two companies, visit www.cruising.org and www.ptana.org.
