INTERVAL TRAVEL EARNS CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES’ PINNACLE AWARD FOR THE EIGHTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Miami, FL, February 27, 2008 – Interval International, a leading provider of vacation services, announced that its full-service travel agency Interval Travel®, has received the Pinnacle Award from Carnival Cruise Lines for the eighth consecutive year. This tribute is the highest sales achievement recognition given to high-volume travel agencies that exhibit excellence in promoting and selling the “Fun Ship” cruise experience and demonstrate exceptional professionalism and outstanding support of the Carnival product.
“Travel agencies are an integral part of our distribution system, which is why we created the ‘Pinnacle Club’ to recognize those high-volume agencies like Interval Travel who are truly experts in their field and exhibit the highest levels of professionalism,” said Maurice Zarmati, Carnival’s vice president of sales.
"We are delighted to be a recipient of the Pinnacle Award because it acknowledges our cruise advisors’ top-level sales performance,” said Raul Estrada, vice president of Member Services for Interval International. “Carnival offers a variety of ‘fun’ cruise options that extend the vacation experiences that we provide to more than 1 million members served by our Miami-based staff.”
Research has shown that Interval’s U.S. members are approximately three times more likely than the typical U.S. adult to have taken a cruise vacation in the past three years. In addition, studies indicate that four out of every 10 Interval U.S. members intend to take a cruise vacation in the future.
The Interval Travel Cruise Desk has operated since 1997 in response to the increased interest in cruising, and serves the company’s North American consumer member families. In 1999, Interval introduced its cruise exchange option, which allows members of Interval’s upgraded benefits program – Interval Gold® – to relinquish their timeshare week toward a cruise vacation. The Interval Travel Cruise Desk is a Cruise Lines International Association booking agency or “CLIA” certified.
About Interval International
Interval International is a leading provider of exchange, travel, and leisure services to resort developers and vacationers worldwide. Based in Miami, Florida, the company has been a pioneer and innovator in serving the vacation ownership market for more than 30 years. Today, Interval has a network of over 2,300 resorts in excess of 75 countries and offers its clients and nearly 2 million member families high-quality products and programs through its 28 offices in 17 countries. Interval is part of IAC, which owns and operates more than 60 diversified brands in sectors being transformed by the Internet, online and offline. Other IAC companies include Ask.com, HSN, LendingTree, Match.com, and Ticketmaster.
About Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a member of the exclusive World’s Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and Windstar Cruises. Together, these members share a commitment to quality and value, offering cruise vacations that appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets and sail to some of the world’s most exciting destinations. Carnival is the leader in the contemporary market of the cruise industry.
