Expedia Cruises Targets 2,400 New Consultants in 2026
The April 11 to 18 program sailed aboard MSC World America and included a day at Ocean Cay, plus recognition for more than 100 Diamond Level consultants.
Expedia Cruises hosted the largest Anchor Conference in its history, drawing nearly 1,000 franchisees, vacation consultants, supply partners and corporate team members to an April 11-18 program aboard MSC Cruises’ MSC World America. The company announced 2026 plans to recruit 2,400 new vacation consultants, open 15 franchise locations and add new technology for its seller network.
The targets add scale to a North American travel franchise system with roughly 240 to more than 260 locations. The conference also gave Expedia Cruises a venue to brief suppliers and franchisees on sales, marketing, training and technology initiatives.
“I have never seen our distribution channel more energized about the opportunities ahead over the next decade,” said Matthew Eichhorst, Expedia president. He said the annual meeting brings the franchise system and industry partners together to share practices and strengthen relationships.
The technology announcements included a new AI-driven consumer website platform for all consultants. Expedia Cruises also cited recent additions including a consultant dashboard and a Microsoft Power BI-powered sales pipeline.
Ealeen Wong, senior director of strategy, partnerships and sales at Expedia Cruises, said the company introduced “new sales, marketing, technology and training initiatives” to help the network pursue growth. She said attendees were leaving “more confident, more connected and better equipped to grow their business.”
The program included keynote sessions, one-on-one coaching, tradeshows and a day at Ocean Cay, MSC’s private island. Expedia Cruises also recognized top agents across its network, including more than 100 vacation consultants at the Diamond Level after each generated more than $1 million in annual sales.
