INTERVAL INDUCTED INTO CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES’ “WINNER’S CIRCLE” FOR THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR
Miami, FL, March 31, 2003 – Interval International, a leading global vacation exchange company and leisure lifestyle benefits provider, today announced that Interval Travel has been inducted into Carnival Cruise Lines’s “Winner’s Circle.”The cruise line created the program to acknowledge 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 the backbone of our distribution system, which is why we created ‘The Winner’s Circle’s to recognize those high volume agencies like Interval Travel that are truly experts in their field and exhibit the highest levels of professionalism,” said Bob Dickinson, president of Carnival Cruise Lines.
“We are extremely proud to receive this honor from Carnival because it recognizes the superior service that our vacation advisors provide our member families,” commented Craig M. Nash, chairman and chief executive officer of Interval International. “We know how much our members love to cruise and Carnival offers a uniquely fun experience that extends the vacation options we provide them.”
The Interval Travel Cruise Desk has operated since 1997 in response to the increasing interest in cruising and services the needs of the company’s North American consumer member families. The Cruise Desk represents a multi-million dollar operation and manages between 8,000 to 9,000 inquiries per month. In 1999, Interval introduced its cruise exchange option, which allows members of Interval’s upgraded benefits program, Interval Gold, to relinquish home resort weeks in exchange for cruise vacations with the payment of a supplemental fee.
To celebrate their induction into this elite group, the staff of Interval Travel was presented with a commemorative plaque featuring a 3-dimensional version of Carnival’s world famous winged funnel, which currently adorns 18 Carnival “Fun-Ships.” This award is on display at the company’s Miami global headquarters.
Carnival Cruise Lines is a member of the exclusive World’s Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Holland America Line, Cunard Line, Seabourn Cruise Line, Costa Cruises and Winstar 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.
For more than 27 years, Interval International has led the vacation ownership industry with innovative products and the highest levels of quality, service and value complemented by a global network of 2,000 resorts in 75 countries. With its headquarters located in Miami, Florida, Interval serves its developer clients and more than 1.5 million members through 27 offices in 18 countries and employs nearly 1,600 people worldwide. Interval International is a division of USA Interactive.
The Interval Travel Cruise Desk is a Cruise Lines International Association Booking Agency or “CLIA” certified.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Chris Boesch
(305) 666-1861, ext. 7267
Chris.Boesch@intervalintl.com
