Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (October 13, 2016) – CruiseOne®/Dream Vacations, the nation’s leading home-based travel franchise as part of World Travel Holdings, announces that Military Times ranked it the number one franchise across all industries on its annual Best For Vets: Franchises list, for the third year in a row. In the past five years, the franchisor has given away more than $250,000 in free franchises to military veterans, and has nearly doubled the percentage of veteran- and military spouse-owned franchises to more than 30 percent.
“To be recognized three years in a row as the number one franchise for military veterans speaks volumes to how important veterans are to our organization,” said Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president of CruiseOne/Dream Vacations. “This is by far one of the most meaningful recognitions we have received and it’s our privilege to give back to our heroes and help them transition into business owners.”
Military Times, the organization comprising Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times invited hundreds of franchise brands across the country to complete a survey about their companies and their offerings for service members and veterans. The survey asked about company culture, the performance of franchise units, the costs associated with franchising, and the financial and other support offered to veteran and active-duty service members and their families. They also considered information from franchise disclosure documents.
“After retiring from the U.S. Army I was in search of a second career. I am a stay-at-home dad and wanted something that would allow me to maintain my time with my daughters and support their after-school activities. When searching for “veteran-friendly” franchise opportunities I quickly learned that CruiseOne and Dream Vacations is where I needed to be,” said Retired MSG and Dream Vacations Franchise Owner Mike Hanlon of Wilmington, N.C. “One of the main reasons I bought my franchise was the amount of support given to those of us that are veterans. CruiseOne and Dream Vacations welcomed me with open arms and my business is really starting to take off. I have even helped out some of my former unit members in planning their dream vacations.”
A member of the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) VetFran initiative, CruiseOne/Dream Vacations is committed to giving back to the military community and offers many incentive programs including a 20 percent discount off the franchise fee and additional discounts for hiring former members of the U.S. military or immediate family as associates. The franchise also hosts a nationally-recognized contest, “Operation Vetrepreneur: Become Your Own General,” which has given away five franchises each year since 2012 to deserving military veterans.
Consistently recognized by leading industry publications as a military-friendly franchise, CruiseOne/Dream Vacations’ accolades include inclusion on G.I. Jobs annual “Hot Franchises for Veterans” the past six years and recognition by MSC Cruises in its first-ever Seaside Salute Award. Additional accolades include being named “Top 10 Military Friendly Franchise” by Forbes, “Top Veteran-Friendly Franchise” by Franchise Business Review, Entrepreneur and U.S. Veterans magazines and inclusion on USA Today’s “50 Top Franchises for Military Veterans.”
CruiseOne/Dream Vacations is committed to being “Rich in Diversity” and empowers all owners, agents and employees to reach their highest potential by leveraging their broad range of talent, experiences, personalities, viewpoints and ideas to generate business growth.
Military veterans with a passion for travel who want to learn more information about franchise opportunities with CruiseOne/Dream Vacations should visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com or call 888-249-8235.
About CruiseOne®/Dream Vacations
In operation since 1992, the home-based travel franchise CruiseOne® is ranked in the top three percent of all franchises worldwide and is a member of the International Franchise Association; its sister brand Dream Vacations was launched in April 2016. As part of World Travel Holdings, CruiseOne/Dream Vacations franchisees are able to offer their customers the lowest possible pricing on vacations with its 100 percent “Best Price and Satisfaction Guarantee.” CruiseOne has received partner of the year, a top-ranking status, by all the major cruise lines including Norwegian Cruise Line®, Royal Caribbean International®, Celebrity Cruises® and Carnival® Cruise Line. For more information on CruiseOne / Dream Vacations, visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com. Like CruiseOne/Dream Vacations on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DreamVacationsFranchise, and follow on Twitter at @Dream_Franchise.
