Expedia Cruises : The Expedia Cruises Five-Year Plan to Reach 500 Locations

This Expedia Cruises franchise recruitment video is built around a single, ambitious five-year growth roadmap: take the franchise organization from 200 locations across North America to over 500 locations. The brand's executive walks viewers through where that growth will come from, what it means for the cruise industry overall, and what it looks like inside an individual franchise location. Geographic expansion is concentrated in two markets. Canada will add roughly another 50 locations, but the bigger growth area is the United States, where Expedia Cruises plans to operate 300 locations five years out. The video frames the opportunity as one where prime US territories are still available for new franchise candidates to claim. On the industry tailwind, the executive notes that 57 new ocean-going cruise ships are coming online over the next five years at an average capacity of 3,000 passengers each — 9.6 million new cruisers entering the market. Combined with the buying power of being part of Expedia Inc., the world's largest travel brand, franchisees inherit a category that is growing structurally rather than fighting for share in a flat market. The local franchise model gets attention next. Travelers research online but, when it comes time to book, want to speak with someone they trust — and Expedia Cruises franchisees are positioned in their communities to be that someone. Average team size today is around 25 selling consultants per location, but the model imposes no ceiling: an owner can take that to 250 over time. Growth pace and team-building are mapped out individually with each franchisee, with a franchise performance coaching team that handles training, guidance, and accountability against the owner's own goals.