Cruise Planners/American Express Welcomes Terri Burke To Executive Team

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Cruise Planners/American Express, the largest at-home travel agent network in the cruise industry, is pleased to announce that Terri Burke has joined the company's executive team as Senior Vice President of Relationship Marketing.

In this newly created position, Burke will be responsible for developing training and certification programs, designing and implementing marketing campaigns, and most importantly, working with Cruise Planners franchise owners to help enhance their sales and marketing techniques.

"These are uncertain times, but we're being bullish by bringing on top talent, marketing more than ever, and investing in new corporate technology that will put us ahead of the game," said Cruise Planners/American Express CEO Michelle Fee. "Terri is a seasoned professional who has earned tremendous respect in the industry. Her appreciation for the professional travel agent and enthusiasm for the new opportunities Cruise Planners/American Express is bringing to the industry makes her the perfect fit for our team. We're thrilled to have her onboard."

Burke joins Cruise Planners/American Express from Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) where she was responsible for nearly 100 sales team members as vice president of business development and industry relations. Prior to her five year tenure at NCL, Burke was senior director of national accounts for Holland America and worked as a travel agent for 22 years before transitioning to cruise suppliers.

"Cruise Planners/American Express is operated by a quality team that is young, vibrant and progressive from the CEO down. Their agents have a real depth and they move quickly in the industry with new tools and impressive technology, which is exactly the type of company that I want to be aligned with at this point in my career," said Burke. "I'm eager to get back to my roots working with travel agents. In this economy, it's imperative agents differentiate themselves in the marketplace by gaining the skills and certification that will provide consumers with the confidence that comes from using a professional travel agent who has the added-value of offering personal relationships, comprehensive travel experience and industry know-how through their preferred travel partners. I look forward to working with Cruise Planners/American Express to build upon their strong foundation by creating new certification programs for agents that will surely set the company apart from the competition."

Burke, who is based in Orlando, Fla., received a bachelor's of arts from San Jose State University and is a Certified Travel Consultant (CTC) and Destination Specialist (DS) from The Travel Institute, Master Cruise Counselor (MCC) from CLIA and Freestyle Certified from NCL.