Croatia’s DMC and small ship cruise company, Katarina Line has announced that it is expanding its industry trade show presence in North America to meet the growing demand for Croatian travel. The move is part of the company’s plan to strengthen its partnerships with travel agents, who are responsible for more than 98 percent of all its bookings worldwide, according to Daniel Hauptfeld, Katarina Line’s marketing director.
The announcement comes as the company completes the first round of U.S. trade show visits in September, which included speaking on a panel at the recent Travel Agent Forum in Miami. Katarina Line also joined the Croatian National Tourist Board at the annual IMEX America in Las Vegas. Next week, it will join the Peninsula Shows for round-table meetings with local travel agents in the cities of San Diego, Ontario and Pasadena, CA, October 17, 18 and 19, respectively.
“We are increasing both our marketing and sales budget in North America to help get the word out to travel agents of our industry-leading commissions and incentive. We are also offering more FAMs to educate and train agents on selling Croatia and create strong and mutually beneficial partnerships.”opportunities,” said Hauptfeld in a written statement.
For Canadian travelers, Katarina will be at International Tourism and Travel Show (ITTS) in Montreal, October 20-22, after which it will return to California for additional Peninsula travel agent shows in San Jose and Sacramento, October 24 and 25. Flying back to the East Coast, it will attend Travursity in Pittsburgh on October 25 and 26 and the Vacation & Travel Experience in Minneapolis, October 27-29, where it will be at booth Number 309. It will close out its October schedule at additional Peninsula shows in Plano and The Woodlands, TX, October 30 and 31, respectively.
Katarina Line will also attend CruiseWorld in Miami, November 15-17, and National Tour Association Travel Exchange (NTA TREX) in San Antonio, December 14-18.
The company can schedule meetings during the event as well as before and after the trade show. Katarina representatives can also visit agents' office for a private presentation and to train staff.
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