North America
Travel Agency Executive (TAE)
Travel Agency Executive (TAE) certification is designed for experienced professionals in agency leadership roles who guide strategic operations, marketing, and client experience in the cruise travel industry. Whether working as executives, directors, or managers in key business areas, candidates earn the TAE designation by completing targeted leadership training, demonstrating cruise product knowledge, and leveraging their professional background to enhance agency performance and industry engagement.
The Executive CLIA Certification
This certification is for people in Agency leadership roles of executive, director, accounting manager, marketing manager, e-commerce manager, or someone who works in a leadership capacity.
Certification requirements vary by year. The requirements below pertain to those who have registered for the certification in 2022 and beyond. Please refer to your Certification Logbook if you’ve enrolled in previous years.
The enrollment fee does not include individual courses, certificate programs, ship inspections, personal cruise experiences, or other out-of-pocket expenses required to complete certification. These components are selected by CLIA based on the certification’s goals and are completed separately as part of the overall certification requirements.
Certification Requirements
Pre- and Post- requisites
Enrollee must be an executive, director, accounting manager, marketing manager, e-commerce manager, or someone who works in a leadership capacity but does not only function as a full-time selling travel agent with a current CLIA Premier or Travel Agency Member. Travel Agency Executive certification candidates have two (2) years from the date of enrollment to complete the certification requirements and submit documentation per the Logbook instructions. Once a CLIA IAM graduates with the TAE designation, the graduate must renew CLIA Individual Agent Membership to maintain the certification.
Mandatory Credits
Must complete and pass the quiz for each of the following courses live or online:
- Marketing 101: Developing Your Marketing Strategy
- Public Relations 101: Public Relations Basics for Your Cruises
- Customer Relationship Management
- Effective Cruise Presentations 101: Skills
- Better Listening Skills for Better Business
- Building Client Loyalty
- Cruise Industry Leadership 501
- Cruise Industry Leadership 601
Elective Credits
Must complete one (1) of the following requirements:
- Any three (3) additional CLIA online courses and live seminars evident by successfully passing the course quizzes
- The achievement of the Travel Institute’s CTC or CTIE designations
- The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) CTC designation
- If member has an undergraduate or graduate degree in business or related field, elective requirement is waived. Please submit copy of enrollee’s unofficial transcript from college or university with degree confirmation
Product Knowledge
Two (2) Personal Cruise Experiences
- Two cruises of 2+ nights
- Must be a CLIA Global Cruise Line Member
- May include cruises from two (2) years prior to enrollment date
- Must be on two (2) different CLIA Global Cruise Lines
- Must be on two (2) different product and destination itineraries (i.e. Alaska and Caribbean)
- May include similar itineraries that stop at different ports
- Must be completed cruises that have not been used for the attainment of any other CLIA certification level