Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Announces 2023 Hall of Fame Cruise Industry Award Winners

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has announced the 2023 CLIA Hall of Fame Cruise Industry Award winners. The awards identify individuals and organizations whose efforts and accomplishments represent a significant contribution to the cruise industry. Award winners were inducted during the CLIA Hall of Fame Cruise Industry Awards & Gala Dinner during the CLIA Cruise360 conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Thursday, April 20th, 2023.

“The 2023 Hall of Fame Winners are an extraordinary group of industry leaders with incredible passion for travel and limitless dedication to their clients and guests,” said Kelly Craighead, CLIA President and CEO. “They are innovators, visionaries, and a shining example of how hard work and leadership lead to success. CLIA is proud to honor their contributions.”

CLIA congratulates its Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2023

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS

Awarded to two individuals — one from the CLIA North American Travel Trade Membership and one from either a CLIA Global Cruise Line Member or River Marketing Affiliate — who are lifetime champions of cruise travel and have made monumental contributions to the cruise industry.

Michael Bayley
President and CEO
Royal Caribbean International

At the helm of the world’s largest and most innovative cruise line, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley leads a global team of more than 50,000 employees who deliver memorable family vacations to more than five million international guests on 26 ships that sail to more than 290 destinations.

Bayley is responsible for the cruise line’s entire operation, which also includes private destinations Labadee, Haiti, and Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas – the first in a series of private island destinations around the world known as Perfect Day Island Collection. A key focus of his is to inspire every team to deliver the unrivaled and award-winning Royal Caribbean experience of innovation and excellence from ship to shore.

Bayley’s responsibilities also include key operations for Royal Caribbean Group, the cruise line’s parent company. He oversees the corporation’s destination and port development, consisting of various ongoing projects in different stages around the world.

Within the industry, Bayley is recognized as a thought leader and proponent of partnership across governments, cruise lines and trade organizations. He’s on the global board of directors for Cruise Lines International Association and is an executive committee member of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association as well as a co-chair of its Americas Cruise Tourism Task Force, which builds cooperative relationships with destinations.

The president and CEO began his 40-year career in 1981 as an assistant purser on Royal Caribbean’s m.s. Nordic Prince. In his 10 years at sea, he worked in a variety of positions, each with increasing responsibility. His success led him to become vice president of guest satisfaction, fleet operations; senior vice president of hotel operations and onboard revenue; and later as executive vice president of operations, overseeing marine, hotel, tour and ground operations, and commercial development. He spent time based in Europe as chairman and managing director of Island Cruises, a joint venture between First Choice Holidays – a leading U.K. Tour Operator – and Royal Caribbean. Bayley also once served as vice president at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The industry veteran has pioneered the concept of cruising in emerging markets across the globe. In 2008, as executive vice president of international sales and marketing at Royal Caribbean, Bayley opened offices in 11 countries in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, and he was instrumental in opening and developing the China market. He was named president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises in 2012 and was responsible for improving the line’s overall financial performance when he expanded the vacation offering to guests in the premium segment. He then became president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International in 2014.

Gloria Bohan
President and CEO
Omega World Travel

Gloria Bohan has had a lifetime of groundbreaking impact on the travel industry, facilitating exciting new trends and shaping how the industry conducts business. Gloria founded Omega World Travel in Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1972, providing leisure travel services to the public. Over the past 50 years, Ms. Bohan has transformed Omega’s initial one-person office into an international full-service travel management company.

Now based in Fairfax, VA, Omega’s sales revenues have exceeded $1 billion a year. Omega was ranked the 4th largest privately-owned travel agency in the United States by Business Travel News (2020), is the largest woman-owned travel agency, and is certified as a woman-owned business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (“WBENC”). Omega’s on and off-site corporate offices, government offices, and call centers are located in cities throughout the United States and in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Korea. Ms. Bohan also owns Cruise.com, one of the largest online cruise sellers, and TravTech, a travel technology company dedicated to providing innovative solutions for the industry. In addition, Omega’s M.I.C.E. division offers an events department with hybrid meeting software that achieves maximum attendance numbers.

Gloria has frequently been recognized for her achievements in the travel industry, including receiving Lifetime Achievement Awards from Northstar Travel Group’s Travel Weekly (2021), The American Society of Travel Advisors (2019), and the Executive Women’s Forum (2011). Ms. Bohan was inducted into the Washington Business Hall of Fame in 2011 and has been named one of the 25 Most Influential Leaders in the Travel Industry by Tour and Travel News. She has further been listed as one of the Most Powerful Women in Washington by Washingtonian Magazine and Woman of the Year by The Network of Entrepreneurial Women.

Though best known for her achievements in travel, Gloria has also been an ardent supporter of education and community-orientated endeavors. Ms. Bohan began her career as a New York City Public School teacher and has long supported the Junior Achievement program which pairs participating youth with business mentors. In the early 2000s, Gloria and her late husband established the Gloria and Dan Bohan Foundation which fosters entrepreneurship and encourages more diverse participation in our economy. Ms. Bohan credits her many successes to giving others a chance to tap into their creativity, the excellent support of businesses around the world, her partnerships with the Travel and Hospitality industry, and her dedicated staff.

TRAVEL AGENCY INNOVATOR AWARD WINNER

Awarded to a CLIA Travel Agency Member or Premier Agency Member that has demonstrated innovative and visionary leadership in their approach to promoting cruise travel, growing their cruise travel sales, and supporting their affiliated travel advisors.

Michael Consoli

Michael Consoli is the owner of Cruise Planners/Michael Consoli & Associates and has been a Cruise Planners franchise owner for 20 years. He is the #1 producing agent in the Cruise Planners network and had a record sales year of $24 million in 2022. Consoli has been on 250+ cruises on all different lines and strives to share these experiences with his clients through social media, video, and first-hand accounts of his travels.

Consoli’s team consists of a seasoned support staff of four members who all play an integral role in helping him plan and execute countless personalized trips for his guests. Their goal is to help their guests realize their vacation dreams, assist them in planning a trip that exceeds his guests’ expectations, all while making sure his clients are provided exceptional service and value.

Each year, Consoli curates several invitation-only trips, which he personally escorts for his clients. This allows him to take the agent-client relationship to a higher level, providing him the ability to better understand their travel style, and assists him in planning future trips tailored for his clients. Consoli cherishes the relationships he has built with industry executives, travel agent peers and, of course, his loyal clients. It is these relationships, combined with the exceptional service he provides his clients that allow him to continue to receive recognition as Viking’s Global Top producer, Cruise Planners’ #1 Luxury and #1 River Cruise agent as well as top producer status with Celebrity, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Tauck year after year.

ELITE CRUISE COUNSELLOR OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER

Awarded to a CLIA Individual Agent Member who has demonstrated their career commitment to professional development through achievement of Elite Cruise Counsellor or Elite Cruise Counsellor Scholar status – the pinnacle of CLIA certification – with the requisite sales requirements as well as significantly impacted the travel agent landscape through contributions to their agency.

Diane Mason, ECCS

Diane Mason was born in St. Louis, MO but has lived in many areas of the United States. While serving as an Aircraft Mechanic Hydraulics Technician (AMH2) in the United States Navy, (1983–1989), she enjoyed the opportunity of living abroad in a variety of locations, as well. While in the US Navy Reserves, Diane attended Travelers Choice School of Travel in Honolulu, HI, graduating in 1989. After successfully completing ‘comprehensive Travel Theory & Apollo Computer Reservations’, she began building her repertoire of extensive travel experience as a local island tour builder on Oahu and the outlying islands.

Diane’s journey towards becoming a million-dollar corporate agent began in the 90’s with companies such as Uniglobe, Travel One and SAIC. These experiences set her up for success and were instrumental in creating The Cruise Planner, LLC (aka–The Cruise & Travel Planner). Initially starting her business in the Virginia Area in 1998, she moved back to her hometown of St. Louis, MO in 1999 until relocating to Gulf Breeze, FL in 2022.

Diane earned her CLIA certification as an Elite Cruise Counselor Scholar in 2012 becoming the only ECCS in the entire state of Missouri. Diane quickly realized that CLIA Certification was an integral part of building a successful travel agency. Diane’s passion to educate, train, and grow top producing, successful travel advisors became evident when her team of independent contractors achieved various levels of certifications through CLIA, with two of them also earning ECC.

Diane volunteered for many years in the Booster Club at a local high school in Missouri, assisting in concession stand sales which provided much needed funds. This resulted in safe and successful grad night events for the local youth. Being an active, highly effective business networker in the community, she not only helped to grow her own business but assisted in helping her colleagues grow their businesses as well. She is currently a member of the FBE women’s veteran group, supporting women veterans of all military services. Diane currently resides with her husband Jim and their 6-Month-old French Bulldog named Emmy Lulu. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, walks in the neighborhood and shell hunting on the most beautiful beaches along the panhandle.