Clia celebrates first 'cruise champions' in graduation ceremony

Clia has held a graduation ceremony for its first cohort of "cruise champions" in Birmingham. 

The trade body introduced the six-month training initiatives for river and expedition cruise in November last year, with 33 agents now qualifying as "river champions" and 32 agents as "expedition champions". 

The courses were aimed at those who were new to the sector or had limited experience, and were created alongside river cruise and expedition operators, with destination, product and sales training delivered via classroom learning, monthly webinars, assessments and digital catch-ups. 

Applications for the next training programme will open later this summer for river, expedition and a new luxury cruise stream which will all start in November. 

Successful applicants will be informed during Clia Cruise Week on September 15-21.

Andy Harmer, Clia UK & Ireland managing director, said: “Congratulations to our first ever set of Clia cruise champions.

"The dedication, commitment and engagement they have demonstrated has been outstanding and we’re thrilled to see their achievements recognised today.

“Many thanks to our cruise line operators for all their support in delivering these programmes, which will ensure graduates are a go-to source of knowledge for both customers and colleagues alike.

"The feedback we’ve received has been so positive from everyone involved and we’re now looking forward to welcoming a second round of agents on to the programmes later this year."