VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 10, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Michael Drever, founder and former CEO of Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®, is being inducted into the 2013 Cruise Industry Hall of Fame by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). As a recipient of the Travel Advisor Innovator Award, Drever will be honoured at the association's Hall of Fame Dinner & Awards Gala on June 21, 2013 during the sold out Cruise3Sixty conference held in Vancouver, BC.
Drever becomes the first Canadian to join a prestigious group of more than 33 Hall of Fame industry leaders including fellow 2013 inductees Mark Conroy, former president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Michelle Fee, co-founder and CEO of Cruise Planners. At the young age of 26, Drever invested $7,500 into a CruiseShipCenters® franchise and within six months, was bringing in $100,000 in sales per month from his small Vancouver office. Over the next two decades, Drever grew the company to 136 Canadian locations and became an industry leader selling 20 percent of all cruises in Canada. After achieving a leadership position in both the cruise industry and the franchise community, Drever negotiated a partnership with Expedia® Inc. in 2007 and rebranded the company to Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®.
"Mike's innovations are visible across the travel distribution landscape, from technology to marketing to franchising," said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. "The CLIA member lines are indebted to Mike for pioneering many aspects of the support we enjoy from travel agents today. He is truly deserving of induction into the CLIA Hall of Fame."
In addition to his many accomplishments in the cruise industry, Drever is well known for his contributions to entrepreneurship and franchising. He has served as President of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) Vancouver chapter, as a board member of the Canadian Franchise Association, and on Travel Agent Advisory Boards of several cruise lines.
Today, under the leadership of president, Matthew Eichhorst, Expedia CruiseShipCenters has grown to 180 franchise locations, including 44 U.S. stores operating in 17 different states. With 42 Million North Americans intending to take a cruise within the next three years, the company is poised for continued growth and is well on its way to achieving their vision of becoming the #1 Cruise Vacation Specialist in the World.
For more information about the Expedia CruiseShipCenters franchise opportunity, visit www.expediafranchise.com.
ABOUT EXPEDIA CRUISESHIPCENTERS
Named a fast-growing franchise by MSN Money, Expedia CruiseShipCenters provides exceptional value and expert advice for travelers booking cruises and vacations through its network of more than 180 franchise locations. As part of Expedia, Inc., the company's 4,000 Vacation Consultants have been navigating spectacular vacation experiences for customers across North America for more than 25 years. For more information on joining the Expedia CruiseShipCenters team, visit www.expediafranchise.com.