VANCOUVER — A new program targeting established travel agencies looking to grow their cruise business has been launched by cruise industry veteran Geraldine Ree, a well-known name from her 27-year career in Canada with Princess Cruises and Expedia CruiseShipCenters.

Ree says she’s initially targeting existing agencies with Cruise-Shift but will expand to include new entrepreneurs in the future.

She adds: “Cruise-Shift is open to any agency. We are not a host agency and the program combines nicely with their existing affiliations.”

Why now? “One hundred million people will cruise in the next four years,” says Ree. “The consumer demand has never been higher, while the growth of new ships is exponential. We’ve never seen an opportunity like this before. Cruise lines are looking for business partners who can both offer expertise and help direct business leveraging digital tools to meet the new way cruisers are searching and booking cruises.”

What’s unique about Cruise-Shift, says Ree, “is we offer a 360-degree view of what it takes for agencies to stand out in this high tech, high touch era. I’ve experienced the cruise industry from the front line agent to the executive level for over 27 years. I’ve also worked on both the retail agency and supplier side of the business. This provides a high value vantage point for me to share.”

Ree started her career with Princess Cruises in 1989, serving as District Sales Manager, Western Canada for seven years. In 1996 she was named Regional Sales Director for Princess Cruises and Cunard, a post she held for 10 years before moving on to Expedia CruiseShipCenters as Senior VP, Franchise and Supplier Performance, from 2006 – 2017.

Cruise-Shift offers strategic consulting and online programs as well as a suite of digital marketing tools to position agencies “at the forefront of the all-important online marketplace”, she says.

Travel Agency Tribes and BestTrip.TV are providing Cruise-Shift with consumer-facing YourCruiseTravelExpert websites, premium text, video and social media content and consumer communications services.

Ree says Cruise-Shift’s Associate program is open to any agency owner. “Our program provides step by step, instructor led curriculum that guarantees an increase in sales. Adding to this our remarkably consumer friendly content and digital tools, I believe we’re coming into the market at an ideal time. The cruise industry is going through exponential growth. The product is innovating like never before to meet the needs of a highly discerning, tech savvy traveler. At the same time consumers are undergoing a radical transformation on how they choose to buy. We’re passionate about helping retail agencies get ready for the future. That ‘future’ is here now, and so are we.”

Ree can be reached at info@cruise-shift.com or (604) 649-0272.