Leading Cruise Line Makes Contribution Supporting Agents Seeking to become Certified Travel Associates
FRAMINGHAM, MA, Aug. 16, 2018 – The Travel Institute (TTI) is launching a one-of-a-kind collaboration with Royal Caribbean International to support travel agents’ continued education. Together, TTI and the cruise line announce they have committed a total of $7,500 toward Certified Travel Associate (CTA) certifications for master’s degree graduates of Royal Caribbean University (RCU), Royal Caribbean’s online travel professional learning platform. Through The Travel Institute, the contribution will cover more than 50 percent of the cost of the CTA curriculum for 40 qualifying travel partners. Professionals who have completed the final segment of Royal Caribbean University’s recently enhanced, three-track curriculum can apply for the financial assistance by directly registering for the CTA program on The Travel Institute’s website. The introduction of this new benefit marks a first in this arena. Plus, if travel partners are members of The Travel Institute, they will also earn an additional 10 percent toward their certification – a perk they currently enjoy today.
“Brand-specific training coupled with ‘job-readiness’ certification through The Travel Institute is a winning formula for success,” said TTI Training Director Guida Botelho, CTA, whose career also includes eight years as training manager at Atlas Travel, where she created and implemented training for the agency’s 200-plus employees. “All of our certifications have been totally overhauled to reflect content that is based on practical, real-work scenarios. We’re excited about presenting this never-before-seen benefit with Royal Caribbean, and we applaud them for recognizing their dedicated travel professionals with such a rewarding opportunity!”
“Royal Caribbean has always been a big believer in education and a huge supporter of the travel agent community – values we proudly share with The Travel Institute. The more knowledge and resources our travel partners have, the better equipped they are to sell our cruises and bring their clients’ dream vacations to life,” said Vicki Freed, CTC, senior vice president, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Royal Caribbean International. “Between Royal Caribbean University and the CTA certification, professionals have the ‘total package.’ Directly supporting agents in pursuing both is further testament to our commitment in seeing them succeed for many years to come.”
Celebrating its one-year anniversary, Royal Caribbean University launched in late 2017 as Royal Caribbean International’s new educational platform. With three comprehensive tracks – the Campus Tour, Bachelor of Adventure and Master of Adventure – the travel partner resource is a highly visual, interactive and mobile-friendly approach to online learning. Professionals who enroll have access to information and tools that will reinforce their knowledge and success in doing business with Royal Caribbean, earning them a coveted degree in adventure and a lineup of rewards. For more information on RCU, agents can visit www.cruisingpower.com and log in.
Travel professionals can learn more about The Travel Institute’s CTA program by visiting www.thetravelinstitute.com/product/cta-2017.
About The Travel Institute
Since 1964, The Travel Institute has been a non-profit global leader in travel industry education and certification. We have certified more than 25,000 Certified Travel Associate (CTA), Certified Travel Counselor (CTC), and Certified Travel Industry Executive (CTIE) graduates and trained thousands more through our destination, niche and lifestyle courses and webinars. Much like accountants or other career professionals with their respective credentials, when you see Travel Institute certified graduates you know they are committed to upholding the highest standards and have completed rigorous courses and challenging exams to verify their expertise. Adding to our Certifications and Designations, The Travel Institute also offers unlimited learning online in our Premium Member Lounge, which serves as a 24/7 classroom across all mobile platforms for college-level courses in business, finance, sales, marketing, social media, and more.