Travel Counsellors dive into the world of cruise at CLIA Conference

Last month over 100 of our Travel Counsellors headed to the CLIA Conference in Southampton.

CLIA brings the whole cruise industry together – from ocean cruise lines and river cruise operators, to travel agents, ports, destinations and industry suppliers.

The cruise industry contributes £10 billion to the UK economy each year, and recent research shows that 1 in 3 people are ready to book their first ever cruise. That’s why we were delighted to see so many Travel Counsellors there, ready to get up-to-date with the latest ships, itineraries and suppliers so they can tap into this market and help customers choose the right cruise for them.

When you become a Travel Counsellor, you automatically get CLIA UK and Ireland membership, which allows you to work towards a cruise qualification and gain access to specialist cruises resources and exclusive industry events.

We caught up with some of the attending Travel Counsellors to see what the event means to them…

“It’s always a great opportunity to network with many others within the cruise industry, as well as spend valuable time with other Travel Counsellors, too. The CLIA Conference is a huge opportunity for a business like myself, and I’m very excited to have gained even more knowledge to help my clients.” - Sally Murray, Travel Counsellor

“Wow, what a weekend I had at the CLIA Conference. With over 700 travel agents, trade support teams, cruise experts and motivational guest speakers, I’m energised and ready to share insider tips with my clients. Given I work at home most of the time, I loved meeting friends old and new from across the industry and making meaningful connections. A fantastic gala dinner with entertainment rounded off a successful event - but winning a Christmas market river cruise myself was the definite highlight!” - Jo Harris, Travel Counsellor

Bring on next year’s event!