Online travel company Expedia has announced an investment in and long-term strategic partnership with CruiseShipCenters International, Inc. (4/2/2007)
Established in 1987, CruiseShipCenters International Inc. is one of North America’s leading cruise vacation specialists.
Through this partnership, Expedia will broaden its exposure to offline distribution channels, and CruiseShipCenters’ 100 retail franchise locations and more than 1500 independent cruise consultants will benefit in the future from the Expedia inventory of non-cruise travel options for customers.
“Cruise is the fastest-growing segment of vacation travel, and we believe that the high touch model that CruiseShipCenters has successfully built is vital to the future of the cruise industry,” said Mark Kammerer, general manager - Cruise, Expedia North America.
“This alliance greatly enhances the opportunities for our franchise partners and consultants to serve travelers,” said Michael Drever, president and chief executive officer, CruiseShipCenters International, adding that the partnership will provide an opportunity to leverage Expedia’s expertise and inventory access as the company grows the CruiseShipCenters brand in Canada and the US.
