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World Cup – Latin flavour to England friendlies ahead of Brazil

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After drawing Uruguay and Costa Rica in their World Cup group, manager Roy Hodgson thought it was imperative that his team gained experience of taking on Central and South American nations prior to next summer's tournament in Brazil.

As a result, the Football Association has announced that England will play a friendly against Peru, whom they have never played before, on May 30 at Wembley.

The squad will then travel to Miami for a warm-weather camp where they will also play Ecuador on June 4 before they take on Honduras for the first time three days later.

Both of those matches will take place at the Sunlife Stadium - the home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team.

Hodgson said: "I'm delighted with the games we have been able to secure and the programme running up to the World Cup in general.

"I was clear to those responsible at the FA that I was looking for Central and South American opposition ahead of the tournament and that is exactly what has been delivered."

Ashley Cole and Gary Cahill played against AC Milan in the stadium, which has an approximate capacity of 70,000 for soccer games, in Chelsea's 2012 pre-season tour of the United States.

Hodgson is expected to name his provisional World Cup squad - plus standby players - around May 13.

England will then travel to a southern European training camp in Portugal in the week between the FA Cup final and the Champions League final, which takes place on May 24 in Lisbon.

After the Peru game the squad will be whittled down to a final 23-man party.

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World Cup - Latin flavour to England friendlies ahead of Brazil

World Travel Holdings’ Home-Based Division Experiences Double-Digit Increase in 2013

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Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) January 15, 2014

World Travel Holdings, the world's leading cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company, announces that its home-based division, comprised of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., achieved many notable accomplishments in 2013. From CruiseOne reaching the 800th franchise milestone to both brands expanding their marketing programs; launching innovative technological developments; enhancing their training programs; and winning prestigious awards such as the Small Business Influencer Awards, South Florida Business Journal CIO Awards, Women in Ecommerce Golden Mouse Awards and G.I. Jobs Military Friendly Franchise to name a few, the home-based travel companies experienced unprecedented growth.

CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. are essential to the overall success of World Travel Holdings and they were substantial drivers in being named by both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian as their respective Partners of the Year. I am pleased that we were able to prevail and have an impressive year, despite the challenges to the industry, said Brad Tolkin, Co-Chairman / CEO for World Travel Holdings. To win the highest recognition from two of the three largest cruise lines serving the North American market is a validation of the incredible team our organization has and the success of our partnership with our valued cruise line partners. We are thankful for all of the hard work and dedication displayed by our wonderful network of CruiseOne owners and Cruises Inc. agents and look forward to even greater success in 2014.

Sales CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. experienced double-digit sales growth year over year in 2013 as a result of more resources than ever available to vacation specialists, ensuring their ongoing success. These resources included new technology platforms and programs; increased local, national and web-based marketing efforts; and more training opportunities than ever before both in-person and online.

Technology The award-winning information technology team has its eye on the future and in 2013 developed mobile websites for CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., enabling consumers to connect and engage with an agent regardless of time and location. CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. agents will experience even greater technological gains in 2014 as a result of a recently announced half million dollar incremental investment in new resources by parent company World Travel Holdings. We pride ourselves on being the best in travel and this new investment will be 100 percent focused on delivering the tools needed to drive our continued success for our CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. brands, shared Tolkin.

Marketing The innovative marketing team at CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. provides its vacation specialists with access to large-scale initiatives. In 2013 an investment was made in a new in-house digital marketing team to manage paid search and lead generation through web advertising for CruiseOne franchise owners. Additionally, we launched a video asset sharing program that provided franchisees access to professional videos which they could personalize and use on television, at special events and on the web. Finally, an email marketing tool was launched that enables work-from-home travel agents with both brands to send professional news updates to their existing databases; and a new custom niche website program enables travel franchise owners to create websites to support their focus to a specific niche.

As the only travel franchise system to offer a field marketing team dedicated to providing local marketing support to individual franchise owners, in 2013 CruiseOne expanded the program to the Northeast and now covers more than 60 pecent of the U.S.

Recruitment The network development team at CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. is pleased to report that both brands continue to gain in size by nearly 10 percent year over year, with CruiseOne reaching the 800th franchise milestone and experiencing a 93.3 percent retention rate among current owners. The brands also implemented two successful programs targeting military veterans and educators. For the second year in a row, CruiseOne received more than 300 entries from 40 different states for its Operation Vetrepreneur: Become Your Own General Contest, which awards five military veterans with travel franchises. Cruises Inc. celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week in May by awarding five current, laid-off or retired educators with home-based travel business opportunities.

Training CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. offer year-round continuing education courses through online and in-person training sessions, arming vacation specialists with unparalleled knowledge of cruise lines and resort vacations, destinations, niche specialties and more. A new enhancement to the training program in 2013 was the addition of The Learning Center, an online learning management system providing new and seasoned vacation specialists easy access to more than 10 certification programs and in excess of 400 training modules for product, sales skills and marketing, as well as introductory-level refresher classes for all work-from home travel agents with CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.

2013 also saw record-breaking attendance at five regional trainings throughout the U.S. where CruiseOne franchise owners and Cruises Inc. affiliates learned tips on how to continue expanding their business by attending educational presentations on marketing, sales and technology from the corporate headquarters team and networking with each other and industry executives. With last years regional training attendees experiencing a 23 percent increase in sales, 2014 is poised to be the most well-attended yet, with trainings scheduled in New Orleans (Jan. 31-Feb. 1), Fort Lauderdale (March 28-29) , Boston (May 16-17), Indianapolis (July 25-26) and San Diego (Sept. 19-20). In November, more than 800 work-from-home agents will convene onboard the Regal Princess for the 2014 CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. National Conference, which is the only annual conference in the industry to be held for a full week at sea.

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World Travel Holdings’ Home-Based Division Experiences Double-Digit Increase in 2013

Three-Peat, World Travel Holdings Named One of the Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces™ in the United States

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Wilmington, MA (PRWEB) January 14, 2014

For the third year in a row, World Travel Holdings, the world's leading cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company, announces its recognition as one of the Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces in the United States. This annual award recognizes top employers that display leadership and innovation toward employee engagement.

Having an engaged workforce continues to be a cornerstone of our Company and we are committed to a strong strategic focus on employee communication and engagement, said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of human resources for World Travel Holdings. We are thrilled to be receiving this award for the third year in a row. This recognition gives us the opportunity to share our story with potential employees as we hire for more than 250 sales and service positions across the country each year.

The foundation of World Travel Holdings engagement success is having its employees immersed in the Companys mission and core values while together working toward the same goals. Employees want to have a stake in the company and understand how their role influences the bottom line, said Fiorino. On a quarterly basis, our CFO provides podcast updates on how our company is doing in meeting our goals. The companys annual 401(k) match and corporate bonus plan are contingent on meeting certain annual goals.

In addition, a significant amount of resources are dedicated to professional and personal growth, many of which are focused on leadership. Ninety percent of the Companys Directors and above were promoted from within (63 percent started out as individual contributors). Six out of seven of the companys Senior Vice Presidents were internal promotions (three started as agents).

The Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces Awards panel of judges evaluated each applicant based on the Eight Elements of Employee Engagement: Communication, Leadership, Culture, Rewards & Recognition, Professional & Personal Growth, Accountability & Performance, Vision & Values and Corporate Social Responsibility.

The Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces understand that employee engagement is not just a buzz word, but that engaged employees provide businesses with a unique competitive advantage. Companies that focus on employee success have better engagement and alignment with business objectives and company values, said Achievers CEO, Patrick D. Quirk. These companies serve as role models for other businesses to engage their own employees and build success.

The panel of 14 judges included various academics and thought leaders on employee engagement, and included representation from organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), and Human Capital Institute (HCI) and Northern California HR Association.

World Travel Holdings will be honored alongside other recipients of the Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces Award at the awards gala on April 2, 2014, in San Francisco, Calif.

About Achievers Achievers delivers the only true cloud-based Employee Success Platform that enables remarkable business success. Designed specifically to meet the complex needs of todays changing, modern workplace, it is the most engaging software specifically designed to engage, align and recognize employees. It is software employees love to use every day in over 110 countries. Achievers is a privately held company headquartered in San Francisco. Learn how your company can change the world works at http://www.achievers.com.

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Three-Peat, World Travel Holdings Named One of the Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces™ in the United States

The World Gathers In Shanghai for World Travel Fair

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SHANGHAI, Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As a driving force for the global tourism industry, Chinese outbound travel has kept rising during recent years and now tops the market. According to statistics from the China National Tourism Administration ("CNTA"), Chinese outbound tourist figures soared to over 83 million in 2012 and hit 94.3 million in 2013. This market generated USD $102 billion in overseas consumption in 2012.

Considering the increasing of disposable income and the strong business demand, there is no doubt that the leapfrog development of Chinese outbound travel will continue during the next decade. The outbound tourist number is expected to reach 200 million by the end of 2016- an incredible growing rate of 30% year-on-year. Shanghai, the epicenter of China's booming economy and the main gateway to foreign cultures, is the right place for your exposure. It is a market that you cannot miss!

World Travel Fair, the leading travel expo in China staged annually in Shanghai and co-hosted by the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration and VNU Exhibitions Europe, is a must-attend event showcasing a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to China's most dynamic markets. It is a unique opportunity for the global travel trade to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business, plus an effective platform for consumer marketing. In 2013, the expo gathered more than 45,000 visitors and over 550 exhibitors from all over the world.

"World Travel Fair Professional" (for trade visitors only) offers exclusive business atmosphere and facilities for travel trade, providing an excellent opportunity for exhibitors to meet business partners and close deals. Exhibitors' business purpose will be entirely taken care of through our concurrent events, diversified buyers, and arranged business appointments.

For public visitors, the World Tourism Carnival is an efficient way to discover the wonders of the world in an all-around way. Exhibitors are encouraged to bring their features, special offers, travel tips and consumer interaction on-site activities. It is also a great opportunity to achieve brand awareness and generate on-site reservations.

For more information, please visit http://www.worldtravelfair.com.cn, or call us at +86-21-6195-6088/5110-5000 and email to Vincent.zha@vnuexhibitions.com.cn / Sylvia.ye@sicmo.com.cn.

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The World Gathers In Shanghai for World Travel Fair


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