Cruise Holidays International Forges Alliance with Quebec ...

Agreement strengthens Cruise Holidays? position in Canada, brings further technology enhancements and vendor opportunities to Groupe Atrium.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) October 25, 2012 -?In an unprecedented level of growth for one of the world?s most far-reaching cruise travel agency franchisors, Cruise Holidays International has announced a new alliance with Quebec-based Groupe Atrium. The agreement provides Groupe Atrium with access to Cruise Holidays?? suite of technology and marketing solutions for its growing franchise network and consortium members across Quebec.

Groupe Atrium, which is made up of the Vasco Travel franchise, the Gama Travel consortium, and Premium Tours, will become Cruise Holidays? master franchisor in Quebec. All franchised agencies and consortium members will continue to operate under their existing brand names.

Vasco Travel was established in 1994, with a reputable presence across the province and more than 90 franchise owners. There are approximately 40 Gama Travel members.

To further reinforce its position as one of Quebec?s strongest travel companies, Groupe Atrium will have the opportunity to implement Cruise Holidays? technology systems, including CruiseWeb ? the company?s fully-integrated back office to front office system ? which offers full cruise booking, customer relationship management and accounting capabilities. Groupe Atrium will also have the option to make use of any other Cruise Holidays programs, such as its website program and layered marketing approach, which have provided Cruise Holidays franchise owners with maximum operating efficiency, control on resources and increased margins. Groupe Atrium will handle translation of Cruise Holidays? marketing pieces from English to French.

Mark Schiffner, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Cruise Holidays, noted this alliance is one that is particularly beneficial for both parties. ?Groupe Atrium, which includes Vasco Travel, Gama Travel and Premium Tours, consists of the definitive cruise and vacation experts in Quebec. Their team will remain as the undisputed experts on the ground in Quebec. We look forward to working together to find and capitalize on new opportunities with this highly successful organization,? said Schiffner.

?Such an alliance, by two entities aiming for the same goal, made total sense for us. Mark and his team are so dedicated to their franchisees that it became obvious to us that we could be a perfect match. We will work together to get even better results!?? said Sylvain Last?re, President of Groupe Atrium.

?We believe that we can share resources around technology and franchisee services, and we share a similar philosophy: that our franchise owners are our collective future,? said Benoit Pichette, Vice President and Directeur G?n?ral of Groupe Atrium.

Groupe Atrium also stands to benefit from Cruise Holidays? position within Travel Leaders Leisure Group, which is a division of Travel Leaders Group. The parent company is a nearly $17 billion (U.S.) travel company that already includes approximately 30% of all travel agencies in the United States and Canada under its umbrella.

?This is a win-win situation for Travel Leaders Leisure Group and Groupe Atrium,? said Tom Baumann, President of Travel Leaders Leisure Group. We look forward to now having an even stronger presence in Canada, especially in Quebec, while Groupe Atrium will enjoy the benefits of being part of one of the world?s top travel companies ? nearly 17 billion dollars strong,? added Baumann.

Only three months ago, Cruise Holidays announced the travel industry?s first-ever North American master franchisor agreement in Australia. Australian-based CruiseMart has now re-branded as Cruise Holidays Australia. Additionally, less than two years ago, Cruise Holidays also added a master franchisor in the United Kingdom, which is now over 50 franchise owners strong, doubling the number of locations in the UK since early 2011. With the addition of the alliance with Groupe Atrium, the total number of Cruise Holidays franchise owners and affiliated locations globally rises to more than 350.

For franchising information, contact Cruise Holidays or Peter Kowal at pkowal@cruiseholidays.com. Or call 1.800.824.1481.

Contact:

Maggie Blehert
(763) 577-3671

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Source: http://www.franchising.com/news/20121025_cruise_holidays_international_forges_alliance_with.html

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