Photo courtesy of Dream Vacations

CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. experienced double-digit sales growth in 2015 in both their seagoing vacation specialty but also in resort and tour sales.

And it’s the continuous growth in land vacation sales that prompted the organization to take a bold step and create a new brand called Dream Vacations, which will be a CruiseOne company but whose name will more clearly convey that its travel agencies sell vacation packages, resorts and tours, as well as cruises.

Dream Vacations was announced in mid- November at the annual CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. conference, held this year aboard Norwegian Escape. The response was enthusiastic.

The new brand will officially launch on April 4, and existing CruiseOne franchisees can either stick with that brand or move to the new one. By early January, about 35 percent of CruiseOne franchisees were committed to operate under the new brand.

It was conceived to help franchise owners spread the message that they can book vacation packages, resort stays and tours, said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of CruiseOne/Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. “CruiseOne has always sold other things,” Fiorino said in an interview during the conference, adding that many consumers don’t realize that. Many CruiseOne agents say they lost resort and tour sales because friends and clients thought they sold only cruises.

READ MORE: Agent Insights: CruiseOne’s Dream Vacations

“In 2011, we added the tagline ‘Dream Vacations Start Here’ to our company messaging to convey that our franchisees sell more than cruise vacations,” Fiorino said. “Now, in 2015, as the industry continues to evolve, it is only natural for us to have a brand reflecting every vacation type our franchisees sell.” The change means that the CruiseOne network will shrink a bit, but Fiorino said the level of support will remain constant. “We’re going to fully support CruiseOne the way we do today,” she said. “We have a large enough network to support both.” Fiorino said the launch of Dream Vacations won’t detract from the company’s long-time specialty of selling cruises. “Cruise lines will also benefit because we can further tap into the first-time cruiser market by crossselling cruises to new customers who come to us by way of a villa or resort vacation,” she said. “Dream Vacations is a win-win for everybody.”

With the new brand and positive sales trends, Fiorino is optimistic about 2016. “The year 2015 is going to be tough to beat, but with the launch of the Dream Vacations brand, coupled with our dynamic headquarters team creating innovative new technology, marketing and training programs, I am confident that our CruiseOne/Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. brands will all experience tremendous growth,” she said. “Because [the] success [of our franchisees and agents] is our only business, we make every decision with [their] best interests in mind. In 2015 we laid down a strong foundation that will lead to continued success in 2016.”

VIDEO: Dream Vacations: Offering All Types of Vacation Experiences

Both the CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. networks grew by 10 percent in 2015, and CruiseOne reached a milestone by opening its 1,000th location. “While growth is important, we understand that it must be done in moderation and we pride ourselves on always maintaining a support staff ratio of 10:1, which is higher than that of many competitors in the industry,” said Fiorino. “As a result of the personalized support we provide, our annual franchisee satisfaction survey revealed our highest scores ever, and a leading retention rate of 94 percent.”

Follow @cruiseapalooza