Expedia® CruiseShipCenters® Announces Expansion Plans for Texas
June 19 2017 - 9:30AM
Business Wire
Leading Travel Franchise Seeks to Add Up to
Seven New Locations in the Coming Years
Announcing targeted expansion, Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®
unveiled a plan to bring additional travel franchise locations to
Texas. Joining five locations already open or under development in
the state, the leading travel franchise brand plans to add up to
seven locations over the next three to five years.
Folded into an overall growth vision for the brand, the new
Texas locations are key to Expedia CruiseShipCenters’ goal to reach
the 500 location milestone in North America over the next five
years. Texas’s expansion is building off of the success and efforts
of local franchisees like Heather Fahle and Patrick Walker in
Frisco who have seen tremendous success since opening last year.
Specifically, Expedia CruiseShipCenters is looking to target the
greater Dallas area, as well as Houston, Austin and San
Antonio.
“Given the density of the market and the cruise industry’s
increasing focus on domestic cruise departure ports like Galveston,
it makes sense for us to target Texas as a growth region for new
franchise locations,” says Matthew Eichhorst, President of Expedia
CruiseShipCenters. “Our promise is to navigate spectacular vacation
experiences for cruisers – wherever they live – and we see enormous
potential to reach those customers by bringing our franchise model
to Texas.”
According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), an
organization that conducts continual analysis of the industry, over
one million cruisers came from Texas in 2016, accounting for 9.6
percent of all American cruisers. As driving distance to port is a
key decision making factor for cruisers, Texas is a prime market
for expansion given its significant source of cruisers and close
proximity to the cruise port in Galveston.
Cruises are becoming increasingly popular because they offer
comfort and convenience while making it easy for people to visit
several destinations on a single trip. CLIA reports that the demand
for cruising has increased more than 60 percent in the last ten
years. The association also points out that the U.S. economic
impact of the cruise industry is larger than ever — at $42 billion
annually. Cruise lines have responded to that growth by
commissioning the construction of more than 97 new ships that are
on pace to set sail between now and 2026.
With more than 235 retail locations already open or under
development, the Expedia CruiseShipCenters’ franchise network is
rapidly expanding. Fahle and Walker are key examples of the varied
backgrounds the brand’s franchisees come from. Prior to opening an
Expedia CruiseShipCenters location, Walker was in the Coast Guard
for 27 years. With a passion for travel and the sea, he sought out
a business opportunity to help community members go on their dream
vacation. With Fahle being a seasoned small business owner, she was
looking for a new investment opportunity to expand her portfolio. A
natural fit, the duo partnered up to bring Expedia
CruiseShipCenters to the market.
“Being in the Coast Guard provided me with life changing travel
opportunities. Upon leaving the Coast Guard, I wanted a career that
would allow me to use knowledge from my experiences and give back
to the community,” said stated Walker. “After learning about
Expedia CruiseShipCenters we spent a few months gathering the facts
and the rest was history.”
With plans to open nearly 30 new locations during 2017, Expedia
CruiseShipCenters continues to provide business opportunities for
driven team leaders who want to build income, equity and a great
lifestyle with a retail business they are passionate about. To
learn more, visit www.expediafranchise.com.
About Expedia CruiseShipCenters
Expedia CruiseShipCenters provides exceptional value and expert
advice for travelers booking cruises and vacations through its
network of over more than retail travel agency franchises. As part
of the Expedia group family of brands, the company’s 4,700 Vacation
Consultants sell a wide range of vacation products including
cruises, flights, hotels, vacation packages, tours, excursions and
more. The company has been navigating spectacular vacation
experiences for customers across North America for 30 years. For
more information on Expedia CruiseShipCenters, visit
www.expediafranchise.com.
Expedia and CruiseShipCenters are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Expedia, Inc. or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or
other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned
herein may be the property of their respective owners. © 2017
Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST # 2029030-50 and CST #
20893-43
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Fishman Public RelationsToni Lewin,
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