Central Holidays is pleased to report a significant increase in the momentum of bookings for 2018 and year-over-year growth in bookings of more than 30 percent. With core destinations continuing to trend high in demand as well as newcomers to the list that are gaining popularity among travelers, the company is also thrilled to announce the first dates of its travel agent seminar series aimed at providing ongoing support and training for Central Holidays’ agent partners.

“As we continue to grow our sales team and agent efforts, it is gratifying to see the significant growth in bookings we are experiencing. Bookings are up more than 30 percent overall and the momentum of bookings continues to increase. Further, while we have seen that some of our key destinations remain at the top of the list for bookings – namely Italy, Greece, France and Spain – we are seeing exciting increases in such destinations as Croatia, Israel, and Egypt. Additionally, in Latin America, Argentina is currently garnering the most bookings, followed by Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile”, said Tewfik Ghattas, SGI Board Member.

“It’s clear that our travel agent initiatives, training and development activities, and tiered compensation program are working effectively to help drive this increase in bookings via our core channel – the travel agent community,” said Jimmy Zitani, VP of Sales for Central. “More and more agents and their clients are realizing what a terrific option Central Holidays offers with our brand of affordable luxury travel programs backed by true destination experts and the reliability of knowing that their clients are traveling with a time-honored travel provider with more than four decades of success in delivering amazing trips. This increase is not only impressive, but also it is offers a positive outlook for greater things to come!”

As part of Central Holidays' efforts to support the travel agent community, the company is announcing the initial dates for its seminar series that provides agents with targeted product training on the company's vast range of travel offerings. This series of travel agent events presents networking opportunities with the company’s national sales team, destination and brand presentations, sales collateral distribution, and the launch of the Central Holidays new 2018-19 brochures and product line. Participating agents and Central Holidays team members that attended series events in 2017 have deemed them a resounding success, as evidenced by positive feedback as well as bookings and leads garnered.

Following is a list of upcoming seminars currently scheduled for January and February of 2018:
• Tuesday, January 16, 2018 - Milwaukee, WI
• Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - Minneapolis, MN
• Thursday, January 18, 2018 - Cleveland, OH
• Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - Jacksonville, FL
• Thursday, February 1, 2018 - Altamonte Springs, FL

For sales inquiries, the company’s dedicated travel industry sales team can be reached as follows:

Maria Di Rocco, CTC, MCC
Regional Sales Director - Tri-State Area - NJ, CT, NY
Call 800-935-5000 ext. 5293
Email: mdirocco@centralholidays.com

Giovanna Cilia-Wheatley, CTC
Regional Sales Manager - Mid-Atlantic
Call 800-935-5000 ext. 5364
Email: gcilia-wheatley@centralholidays.com

Lynn Seleck, CTC
Regional Sales Manager - South East
Call 800-935-5000 ext. 6308
Email: lseleck@centralholidays.com

Margie Bell, CTC
National Sales Manager
Call 800-935-5000 ext. 5274
Email: mbell@centralholidays.com