CruiseOne (www.cruiseonefranchise.com) said its definitely seeing a shift toward a younger generation of travel agents in its franchise system. In fact, one new CruiseOne franchise is owned by 18-year-old Mubeen Walimomin, a senior at William B. Travis High School in Sugar Land, TX.
Walimomin has completed agent training and is now CruiseOne's youngest travel franchise owner. In fact, the number of Millennials who own a CruiseOne franchise has increased by 16 percent in the last three years, the organization said.
That's significant because in an era where many are concerned about the "aging" of today's agency distribution system and a lack of new agents who are younger, CruiseOne says, in contrast, that many of its new franchise owners are trending younger.
What's changed within the industry to make selling travel more attractive? “Work-life balance is ranked as one of the most important factors Millennials when considering a career choice, and owning a franchise is all about creating a lifestyle,” according to Tim Courtney, vice president of franchise development for CruiseOne. He said that's what makes owning a franchise appealing to the younger generation; they not only have a thirst for travel but also an independent and business-minded attitude.
From Walimomin's perspective, "owning a CruiseOne travel franchise affords me the flexibility to set my own hours to revolve around my class schedule, and will give me real-world experience when I start pursuing my business degree next year at the University of Houston." The new Generation Z agency owner will offer clients a fresh perspective on vacations for a younger crowd and multi-generational groups.