Travel Leaders Group Applauds Move Toward Normalization of Relations with Cuba

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Dec 17, 2014, 03:38 ET

PLYMOUTH, Minn., Dec. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Given today's news regarding the move toward normalization of relationships with Cuba, Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben has issued the following statement:

Travel Leaders Group applauds the move by the U.S. Government to begin the process of normalizing relations with Cuba. Even though freedom of movement has been one of our most cherished rights as Americans, Cuba has been strictly off-limits to most of us for over 50 years. We believe that there is no greater way for Americans to break down barriers than through their unimpeded travel, where we collectively can exchange in a free flow of ideas.

Across Travel Leaders Group, we've already been sending a growing number of Americans to Cuba under federally-licensed people-to-people exchange programs. In fact, this year alone, we've sent many of our travel agent professionals to Cuba through this innovative program. Our hope is that Americans will now enjoy substantially more opportunities to act as ambassadors for their country by visiting Cuba.

Travel Leaders Group is the largest traditional travel agency company in North America with over $20 billion in annual sales through our more than 6,500 wholly-owned, franchised and member agencies.

Earlier this year in the wake of Travel Leaders' (Franchise Division) special person-to-person journey to Cuba with Globus family of brands, we polled 246 Travel Leaders agents to learn whether they had clients expressing interest in traveling to Cuba. A majority (55.3%) of our Travel Leaders agents have had clients expressing interest with 11% of them already having been booked for Cuba. Still, 44.7% told us they didn't have any clients expressing interest.

POLL QUESTION:

"Are clients expressing interest in traveling to Cuba?"


ANSWER:			Results
Yes.			55.3%
	"Yes, but interest has not yet translated to bookings."	44.3%
	"Yes, we've booked a few already."	6.9%
	"Yes, we've booked some already."	4.1%
	"Yes, we've booked many already."	0.0%
"No."			44.7%

The poll was conducted March 25-April 25, 2014.

Travel Leaders Group is a leader in both the retail travel agency space and corporate travel, and it consistently ranks as one of the top travel companies nationwide.

About Travel Leaders Group
Travel Leaders Group (www.travelleadersgroup.com) is transforming travel with a commitment to our vacation and business travel clients via our progressive approach toward each unique travel experience. Having already assisted millions of travelers – through our beginnings as Carlson Leisure Group, a division of Carlson Companies, TraveLeaders and Tzell Travel Group and through the additions of Nexion, Vacation.com and Protravel International – Travel Leaders Group manages leisure, business and franchise travel operations under a variety of diversified divisions and brands. With annual sales of approximately $20 billion through over 6,500 locations, Travel Leaders Group ranks as one of the industry's largest traditional travel agency companies.

Contact:

Steve Loucks, CTC

Kathy Gerhardt

763-744-3797

763-744-3710

[email protected]

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SOURCE Travel Leaders Group