Recognizing a Highly Influential Cruise Industry Career
FAIRFAX, VA, May 09, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ — April 20, 2023, Gloria Bohan has received Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA’s) Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award. CLIA is the largest global cruise industry trade association and its annual Cruise360 Conference is the premier conference for the industry. The event, which caters to CLIA’s community of over 60,000 members, was held at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Among this year’s inductees were Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, the world’s most substantial cruise line, and Cruise Planners’ Michael Consoli, recipient of the Travel Innovator of the Year Award. Bohan, whose travel industry achievements are wide-ranging, is the founder of Cruise.com, one of the largest and most well-established online cruise sellers.
Gloria has been the recipient of numerous other industry awards, including Lifetime Achievement awards from Travel Weekly Magazine (2021) and ASTA (2018). In 2018, she was also inducted into the BTN Hall of Fame. Prior to that, she was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Million Women Mentors (2016) and awarded Travel Weekly Magazine’s Gold Award in the Magellan Awards (2012). In 2011, Gloria was inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame and granted an additional Lifetime Achievement Award from her alma mater, Marymount Manhattan College, from which she had received an Honorary Doctorate in 2003.
Initially inspired by her honeymoon voyage on the Queen Elizabeth 2, Gloria later went on to become a forerunner in the cruise industry. She is, in fact, the Godmother of two vessels: Windstar Cruise’s Star Legend and the Riviera’s MS Robert Burns. Gloria’s career path has paralleled CLIA’s mission of fostering joyful, memorable travel experiences while promoting education and sustainability in travel.
Upon acceptance, Bohan spoke about the essential role of collaboration between travel industry partners, noting, “You have shown remarkable support of the agency/advisor community by your determination to schedule cruises during the pandemic.” She cited her cruise industry colleagues’ efforts to offer cruise credits, which were critical for maintaining passengers’ hopes, while upholding high standards for passenger health and safety. Bohan further commended her peers for preserving the cruise community, stating, “You kept your valuable crews in place and won their loyalty by your outstanding dedication.” She thanked her colleagues for their creativity and resourcefulness in helping the community more fully return to travel.
In addition to her cruise industry accomplishments, Bohan is also the CEO and founder of Omega World Travel, a top travel management company, and TravTech, a cutting-edge provider of travel industry technology. In 2022, Omega celebrated its 50th year as a full-service, international travel management business. Since its founding as a modest one-person office in 1972, Omega’s sales revenues have exceeded $1 billion a year with locations throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Korea. Omega is regularly listed as the largest woman-owned company in the DC area (Washington Business Journal Book of Lists) and the largest woman-owned travel agency in the US (Business Travel News, 2020).
Throughout her career, Gloria’s success has been a testament to her work ethic, commitment, and passion for travel. Her entrepreneurial vision and optimism underlie each of her industry efforts. In her words: “It is said, ‘Life’s a Beach.’ How about ‘Life’s a Cruise!’?”
Omega World Travel is a Woman Owned travel management company, a full-service travel agency, and a leader in the internet retail travel marketplace. The largest woman-owned travel management company in the U.S., Omega designs customized travel management programs for corporate, government, and nonprofit clients. Omega’s travel service offerings include its wholly-owned meeting, conference, and event management services. Omega also owns Cruise.com, one of the largest sellers of cruises online, and Travtech, a technology development company.
For additional information about Omega World Travel please visit: OmegaTravel.com
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