Latest news with #PowerList
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
CRUISE PLANNERS NAMED TO TRAVEL WEEKLY'S 2025 POWER LIST, RANKS #24 AMONG NATION'S TOP TRAVEL AGENCIES
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., July 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise Planners, the nation's largest home-based travel franchise network, has once again secured its position among the most powerful players in the travel industry, ranking #24 on Travel Weekly's prestigious 2025 Power List. This annual list honors the most successful travel agencies in the U.S. based on full-year sales volume and influence in the marketplace. Cruise Planners' consistent presence on the Power List is a testament to its continued momentum, strong leadership, and the entrepreneurial spirit of its nationwide network of franchise owners. Cruise Planners ended 2024 with a remarkable $1.23 billion in total sales, representing a year-over-year increase of more than $100 million. This upward trajectory continues into 2025, positioning the company for yet another record-breaking year. 'Being recognized on Travel Weekly's Power List year after year is not only an honor, but a reflection of the relentless drive and passion of our franchisees and team members,' said Michelle Fee, CEO and Founder of Cruise Planners. 'It underscores how our commitment to innovation, personalized service, and travel advisor support sets us apart in a competitive industry.' Cruise Planners' success can be attributed to its cutting-edge technology, award-winning marketing, and world-class training and support — all designed to empower its travel advisors to thrive in an ever-evolving travel landscape. As leisure travel demand continues to surge, Cruise Planners remains at the forefront, leading with purpose, passion, and performance. As the company celebrates this latest milestone, it remains laser-focused on expanding its reach, supporting its franchise network, and continuing to deliver unforgettable travel experiences to clients across the globe. Company Background: Cruise Planners was founded in 1994 and is the nation's largest home-based travel agent franchise network. As a leader in the travel franchise industry, Cruise Planners positions a nation-wide network of 2,500 franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing programs, proprietary and innovative booking and technology tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industry's top executives. The company continues to be an industry leader and was named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 18 consecutive years and awarded by Franchise Business Review as 'Best-In-Category' for 2 years. Cruise Planners received a 99% franchise owner satisfaction report from Franchise Business Review for 2024 and 2025. Franchise Business Review also ranked Cruise Planners #3 OVERALL on their list of Top 200 Franchises of 2022. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel. Visit our website, for more information or to view the complete list of awards and honors. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Cruise Planners Franchising, LLC
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
YouTuber Prajakta Koli becomes only Indian to feature on maiden ‘TIME 100 Creators' list
YouTuber-turned-actor Prajakta Koli has become the only Indian creator to be featured on TIME's inaugural 'TIME100 Creators' list, consisting of the 100 most influential faces in the digital space globally. Koli, who has garnered a colossal fan following since 2015, is the only Indian creator to be featured on the 2025 list, alongside international creators such as Jimmy Donaldson aka MrBeast, Mel Robbins, Khabane Lame, Jay Shetty, and Kai Cenat. Sharing a heartwarming post on Instagram, Koli expressed gratitude to her fans. 'There's so much I should be feeling right now, and even more I should be saying. But honestly, in this moment, only two words come to mind: thank you,' she wrote. 'Thank you to my audience, for showing up, for believing, for staying. Thank you to my family, for standing beside me through every messy, magical moment. Thank you to myteam, for being my rock. And thank you to 21-year-old Prajakta, who dove headfirst into storytelling as a creator with no plan, no prep, no roadmap… just heart. Just instinct. Just the love for stories. So yes, thank you. I guess that's all there is to say. And maybe, it's everything,' she added. See the post here: A post shared by Prajakta Koli (@mostlysane) Congratulatory reactions flooded the comment section soon after Koli shared the news. 'Power moves sis!!!! So proud of you,' a user wrote. 'Representing (Indian flag) in this Power List. So proud,' another fan commented. Koli launched her YouTube channel in 2015, where she initially shared comedy skits. Known as 'MostlySane' on the Internet, she garnered seven million subscribers on the video streaming platform. After establishing herself as one of the most successful Indian YouTubers, Koli made her acting debut with Netflix's romantic series Mismatched, along with Rohit Saraf. She went on to play a key role in Karan Johar's Jug Jug Jeeyo, co-starring Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor, and Neetu Kapoor. In 2025, the 32-year-old debuted as a novelist with Too Good To Be True.
Travel Weekly
01-07-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
KHM Travel Group names advisor to lead its diversity efforts
KHM Travel Group has named travel advisor Marcus Williams its new DE&I specialist. The role was designed to strengthen the Brunswick, Ohio-based host agency's diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, according to KHM, No. 42 on Travel Weekly's Power List. Marcus Williams Photo Credit: KHM Travel Group Williams will lead KHM's existing DE&I Committee and will plan and host its quarterly meetings. He will also work with suppliers and other industry partners with DEI initiatives. He will also be tasked with contributing to KHM's DE&I Resource Library and make DE&I Minute presentations during monthly staff meetings in addition to finding new ways to engage diverse groups of travel advisors. • Focus on LGBTQ+ Travel: A chill in the air for Pride Additionally, Williams will head KHM's Bipoc Agent Resource Group. The group provides a place for advisors who are people of color to network and communicate with one another. Williams is the founder of the agency Impressive Travels in Houston. He was named KHM's 2024 DE&I in Action Agent of the Year and a Diamond Pinnacle Agent. "We started our DE&I journey back in 2017, and thanks to the dedication and perspectives of travel advisors like Marcus, we have seen industrywide progress, specifically in consumer advertising and marketing resources offered," KHM president and CEO Rick Zimmerman said in a statement. "We know there is still a lot of work to be done and are confident that Marcus is the perfect person to collaborate with our team to continue making a positive change for greater diversity, equity and inclusion in travel."
Travel Weekly
23-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Introduction to the 2025 Power List: this year's biggest sellers of travel
The travel industry's remarkable stability is displayed in the Power List, an annual collection of the world's biggest sellers of travel. Inflation, market growth and confidence in travel have steadily raised both the volume and rates for travel products over time, increasing agencies' overall sales totals. So when the invitation for agencies to complete the Power List survey went out in early March, Travel Weekly once again set a higher threshold for inclusion. The global annual sales baseline was raised from $110 million in last year's List to $125 million. Methodology How the 2025 Power List was created. Continue Reading Seventy companies reported that they exceeded that threshold, with 26 achieving more than $1 billion in sales. There was very little movement in rank among the listed companies, which accounted for more than $450 billion in sales. About half reported growth rates of 3% to 15% from 2023 to 2024. Making the biggest leap in the ranking was Austin, Texas-based host company Departure Lounge. It reported a 63% increase from 2023, to $340 million in 2024, to move from No. 55 to a tie for No. 47. It added 112 advisors, including 30 new to the industry, and expanded its international footprint to propel its growth. Mergers that have been announced but didn't close in 2024 are not reflected in the list. The biggest -- No. 3 American Express Global Business Travel's acquisition of No. 6 CWT -- is expected to close by year's end. But TravelPerk (not listed last year) acquired Amtrav to land at No. 17 on this year's list. Newcomers on the list include U.K.-based Gray Dawes Travel, No. 33 with $668 million in sales, and Miami-based Brickell Travel, tied at No. 56, with $230 million. Returning from a one-year absence is Travelink, No. 69, with $126.9 million. Companies that returned the survey but reported sales just under the new threshold were Marvelous Mouse Travels, Largay Travel and Open Network Exchange. What Power Listers said In their Power List questionnaire, agencies were asked to provide details on their accomplishments, plans and outlook. Nurturing AI technology for both internal and customer-facing work was by far the most frequently mentioned development. Expanding NDC connections to provide more choices and cheaper fares was another often-cited priority. Consumer concerns being addressed by travel companies include costs, sustainability and travel complexity and risk. Providing robust round-the-clock support for customers when their travel plans are disrupted was another top-of-mind goal many companies mentioned. So, too, was advancing sustainability efforts. In trying to forecast the rest of 2025, one company mentioned a "choppy" macro environment. Another stated that "the current climate of uncertainty gives pause." One agency lamented that "geopolitical events, fuel prices and potential disruptions may create volatility in global travel patterns." International travel remains strong but will "shuffle and shift," another observed. A "cautious optimism" about the rest of the year was the most common refrain when companies described their outlook in late March and early April, when responses were collected. Whether pursuing AI's potential, grappling with evolving customer sentiment or bracing for potential impacts of government policies and macroeconomic forces, those on the Power List expressed confidence and steadiness -- with the ability to be nimble to recognize needs and implement changes. Contributing editor Paul Szydelko compiled and edited the 2025 Power List.
Travel Weekly
23-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
How the Power List was created
To qualify for the 2025 Power List, a company had to record a minimum of $125 million in travel sales in 2024, a change from last year when $110 million was required. For purposes of this survey, sales are defined as gross sales of travel products worldwide, whether to consumers or to corporate travelers; the company must be the agent of record on the transactions from a supplier's perspective. At least 15% of the sales volume must have been generated in the U.S. The questionnaire was sent in March to companies that had appeared on the list in previous years, had contacted Travel Weekly believing they qualified, had been in the news because of acquisitions or had grown for other reasons. As has been the case for years, Travel Weekly requested that gross sales volume be certified by a company's owner, CEO or CFO. In a small number of cases, certification was made by an executive at the vice president level who was granted financial oversight. The 2025 Power List An introduction to this year's Power List. Continue Reading Some companies chose not to return our questionnaire. For Expedia Group we obtained sales data from public filings. In the case of American Express Travel, Hopper and Vacations to Go, Travel Weekly editors estimated sales and position based on previous rankings and performance of similar companies. While all cooperating listees did certify sales (or made them public), it must be kept in mind that even those numbers are difficult to verify because the great majority of travel sellers are privately held and under no obligation to disclose financial data. Also, there is no commonly accepted standard for calculating sales volume, and there is no clearinghouse in the U.S. that tracks nonairline sales, as ARC does for airline sales. The survey on which these rankings is based included questions involving travel-related subsidiaries, percentage of sales from business and leisure, corporate structure and more. There were several open-ended questions about recent and planned developments to which companies could reply in any way they felt appropriate. Responses, in part, determine the length of the profiles that accompany each agency. There might be companies that should be on the list but escaped our attention. Representatives of such companies should email powerlist@ so we can send them a questionnaire for next year's Power List.
