Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has welcomed its first intake of Masters candidates for 2025, taking 60 of the region’s top travel agents towards the association’s highest qualification.
The Masters Program is a six-week course designed to help travel agents stand out as cruise specialists and move into an environment beyond mainstream selling. Participants learn how to pursue new revenue streams, create a unique brand differentiation, and forge a unique position in a competitive retail landscape.
This year’s Masters Program is being held in March and September and will include 24 “rising stars” sponsored by Royal Caribbean – a selection of top performing agents nominated by multiple agency brands, who were hosted at CLIA’s recent Cruise Industry Awards and will be able to sail on a future Royal Caribbean cruise.
CLIA Head of Training & Development Peter Kollar said the Masters Program was available exclusively to CLIA agents in Australasia & Asia who had achieved Ambassador status.
“Masters candidates already have among the best cruise knowledge in the industry, so this course is designed to take them further to focus on business development and creating new strategies to build their client base and sales,” Mr Kollar said. “Fewer than 2% of retail travel agents are CLIA Masters, which means they stand out from the crowd as holders of CLIA’s highest professional development qualification,” Mr Kollar said.
Royal Caribbean Director of Sales in Australia & New Zealand Dave Humphreys said the Masters Program was an investment in the future for cruise specialist agents.
“For a few years, Royal Caribbean has proudly supported the CLIA Masters program through our rising stars initiative,” Mr Humphreys said. “Top trade partners nominate a team member from any field who goes above and beyond to support the cruise industry and is a shining star in their organisation.
“It’s key for Royal Caribbean to continue supporting these leaders’ long-term development culminating in their CLIA Masters accreditation,” he said.
After completing the online Masters course and assignment, successful participants will receive 100 accreditation points and enter the prestigious CLIA Cruise Masters ranks, with a higher search ranking on the CLIA Australasia website.
To take part, member agents can register their interest by email to [email protected] or visit CLIA Masters Program for more information.
