CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – April 27, 2023 – Classic Vacations has chosen Cruise Planners Travel Advisor Angela Kelso as the recipient of a Scholarship to attend the 2023 E3 Summit in the name of Cruise Planners late COO and Co-Owner, Vicky Garcia. The scholarship will cover the cost for participation as well as air accommodations.
“Classic Vacations wants to honor Vicky and her legacy by offering a Cruise Planners franchisee the opportunity to take part in this event which focuses on entrepreneurship and education for the travel professional,” said Jeff Verlotta, business development manager. “We know these are core attributes that Vicky held dear.”
Kelso has been franchise owner since 2019 and is a Mega Star sales tier and has a focus on selling luxury land vacations including Classic Vacations.
“It is a tremendous honor and participating in the event focusing on entrepreneurship and education for the travel professional is truly appreciated,” said Kelso. “The first time I met Vicky was at a Cruise Planners training event. She left a lasting impression on me then that I still carry with me today. Her passion and enthusiasm was infectious and an inspiration to me.”
This is Classic’s 5th year of E3 and it stands for Elite, Education, Experience.
“This is a beautiful tribute to our beloved Vicky and is a testament to the lasting legacy she left behind,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and Founder of Cruise Planners. “Thank you to Classic for this gesture to honor her memory in the way she would have wanted: empowering travel advisors to soar.”
The conference will take place Aug.27-31, 2023 at the Secrets Bahia Mita in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and will feature workshops, seminars and chances to network.
Company Background
Cruise Planners was founded in 1994 and is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network. As a leader in the travel franchise industry, Cruise Planners positions a nation-wide network of 2,500 franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing programs, proprietary and cutting-edge booking and technology tools, as well as professional development and travel agent training with the industry’s top executives. The company continues to be an industry leader and was named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 18 consecutive years and awarded by Franchise Business Review as “Best-In-Category” for 3 years and ranked #18 on Travel Weekly’s 2022 Power List.
Franchise Business Review also ranked Cruise Planners #3 OVERALL on their list of Top 200 Franchises of 2022. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel.
Visit our website, www.cruiseplanners.com, for more information or to view the complete list of awards and honors. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit https://www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com/.