ACCL Joins Marketing Alliance!
Ray Goldenberg
I received this press release from the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance
(NCMA) and thought it would be of interest. If you have missed any of
my news' postings, they are available on my web site.
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Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com
ACCL Joins the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance
SEATTLE, WA., August 28, 2007 – American Canadian Caribbean Line has
become the 14th member of the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance (NCMA).
ACCL and the other 13 lines have banded together to educate travel
agents on the value of concentrating on the sale of specialty cruise
products. The alliance provides educational programs, seminar content
and trade show exposure for its members and this industry segment. In
addition, its website, www.nichecruise.com, has been redesigned to
allow consumers in the United States and Canada to locate certified
Niche Cruise Specialist travel agents by zip code, postal code or
city. NCMA recently added an online agent training program to its
website as well that allows agents to become Certified Niche Cruise
Specialists.
ACCL's niche is exploring some of America's most historic waterways in
a style reminiscent of private yacht vacations of a bygone era. The
line offers cruises to the Great Lakes, U.S. canals and rivers, the
U.S. Intracoastal and bay waterways, the Northeast and Canadian
Maritime Provinces and the Caribbean Islands and Central America.
The line’s two ships, the Grande Mariner and the Grande Caribe, each
carry 100 passengers, and were commissioned in 1998 and 1997,
respectively. Cruises range in length from five to 15 days.
One of the unique features of both ships is their bow ramps, which
allow the vessels to cruise right up to beaches and shores, allowing
passengers to disembark without the need for docks or jetties. Both
vessels also feature glass bottom boat launches to allow passengers to
view underwater marine life.
Further information on ACCL is available from your travel agent.
“We feel joining together with fellow niche cruise colleagues as one
voice will strengthen awareness of the wonderful mix of specialty
cruise lines in today’s exciting array of vacation choices,” stated
ACCL president Nancy Blount.
“For over 40 years our family-operated cruise line has provided guests
with access to places usually only accessible by private yacht, in a
very relaxed expedition-style format based on our family vacations of
the 1950’s.”
“Success with niche products lies in the ability to qualify a client
and knowing which experience is a good fit – a consultative approach.
NCMA offers agents an opportunity to learn the hallmarks of specialty
cruise lines and better identifying matches of their customer needs,”
said Maria Prezioso, ACCL Marketing Director. “Our product attracts a
very specific clientele of well-traveled down to earth seniors.”
“As simple as our product is, selling and understanding it is
complex,” said Julie Blount, president, Blount Boats Inc. and ACCL
Executive Team member. “We have admired NCMA’s development of training
tools and welcome the ability to introduce and indeed remind agents of
who we are and who we appeal to.
“We are thrilled to be a part of such an interesting collection of
cruise products,” said Marcia Blount, on behalf of the Blount family
Executive Team. “We look forward to networking with both agents and
industry colleagues for all of our collective successes.”
“We are pleased to welcome ACCL to our membership, which continues to
offer travel agents an increasingly diverse selection of specialty
cruises throughout the world,” said NCMA Executive Director Larry
Dessler.
Other NCMA members include: American Cruise Lines, Fred. Olsen
Cruises, Galapagos Explorer II (Canodros), Imperial River Cruises,
Louis Cruise Lines, Majestic America Line, Norwegian Coastal Voyage,
Orion Expedition Cruises, Pandaw Cruises, Peter Deilmann Cruises,
RiverBarge Excursion Lines, Star Clippers and Voyages of Discovery.
Through their membership in NCMA, the 14 NCMA member lines are active
allied members of NACTA (www.NACTA.com), the industry’s leading travel
industry association representing independent and home-based travel
agents and their host agency partners. NACTA is an affiliate of ASTA,
the American Society of Travel Agents.
The NCMA office is in Bellevue, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. All
members can be booked by contacting your travel agent.