Piraeus, Greece – (February 13, 2017) – Celestyal Cruises, the true specialist in destination centric cruising, today announced the appointment of industry veteran Tom Cogan to the role of Vice President of Sales & Marketing for key US markets.  A specialist in the cruise and travel arena, Tom’s impressive career history includes serving as consultant to many world-class travel businesses.  He is well-known for his work as the former Director of Training for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

"We will benefit tremendously from Tom’s experience, leadership and fruitful business relationships with travel agents, operators, and organizations in the cruise and travel industry,” said Nicholas Filippidis Director of product development in North America.  “We are very pleased to welcome Tom as part of our team and look forward to expanding our market share in the offering of our authentic Celestyal Cruises in Cuba programs that circumnavigate the island nation and our distinctive Aegean cruises that showcase Greece and the Greek islands in outstanding, destination-focused 3, 4, and 7 day cruises.”

This expansion of the Celestyal Cruises sales team comes on the heels of the company’s launch of its 4th year of cruise operation in Cuba. After three successful seasons, the company now sails to Cuba year-round, featuring unique, all-inclusive cruises to Cuba that include two full days in Havana, plus calls at Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba.  For U.S. travelers, a people-to-people itinerary is offered that meets current U.S. legal requirements for a full time program of educational and cultural exchange activities. In the Aegean, Celestyal Cruises is introducing new destinations including Napflion in the Peloponnese and Chania in Crete in a novel “Euphoric” cruise program, as well as the option to visit either Samos or Kusadasi on its “Iconic” itineraries, offering travelers even more opportunities to explore lesser known gems in the region.

“I am thrilled about this opportunity,” said Cogan.   “Award-winning Celestyal Cruises continues gaining acclaim for its cruises that emphasize the truly authentic destination experience in each place they visit.   I look forward to growing our partner relationships and to increasing our market position to Cuba and the Aegean.”

In his new role with Celestyal Cruises, Cogan will be responsible for increasing sales from travel agent and group sales in his target regions, the development of new tour operator relationships, organizing industry training seminars, and participating at major trade show events complimenting the efforts of Celestyal Cruises’ VP of Sales & Marketing Ivonne Brown who is responsible for the rest of the country.

For sales inquiries in the Northeast and Midwest regions for Celestyal Cruises, Cogan can be reached via email at t.cogan@celestyalcruises.com.  For Celestyal Cruises inquiries from other U.S. states, please contact Ivonne Brown at i.brown@celestyalcruises.com.

About Celestyal Cruises

Celestyal Cruises is the only home-porting cruise operator in Greece and the preeminent cruise line serving the Greek Islands and the island of Cuba. The company operates five mid-sized ships, ideal for the provision of highly personal service. Every cruise focuses on true cultural immersion, offering an authentic experience of the regions in which the vessels sail.

Sustainability

Celestyal Cruises is deeply committed to sustainability and ethical business practice. The company supports the local communities in the destinations it visits, particularly in the field of education. Since 2015, more than 1,000 students on the islands of Milos, Patmos and Ios have enjoyed a ‘journey to knowledge’ by attending the Museums Program, an initiative by Celestyal Cruises to bring interactive exhibits from the highly-respected Herakleidon Museum to remote areas so students can learn first-hand about the connection between science, art and mathematics. In addition to this innovative program, Celestyal Cruises supports cultural NGOs and promotes entrepreneurship, marine student development and child welfare.

ISO Certification

Following the successful ISO 9001/14001 auditing of three of the company’s ships and the company’s offices, Celestyal Cruises’ operations are now certified in accordance with ISO 9001/14001 standards. This relates to the entire spectrum of cruise ship management including technical, hotel and crew management. The certifying authority is DNV-GL, by far the biggest and most respected classification society in the marine industry.

Awards

In 2016, the company won the prestigious Editor’s Pick award from Cruise Critic UK, the world’s largest online cruise community, in the “Best Value for Money (Ocean)” category. Celestyal Cruises has received such prestigious awards as the Greek Tourism Awards (winning gold and silver in four categories in 2016), the Efkranti Awards and the HR Community Conference & Awards. The company was a finalist in the UK’s WAVE Awards.

Marlene Oliver, APR

NJC Communications

Direct: 305-491-0512

moliver@njccorp.com

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