agent sales critical especially for small cruise lines
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Such as brand differentiation and the relevance

Agent sales critical, especially for small cruise lines

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Agent sales critical, especially for small cruise lines

The CruiseWorld Presidents Panel, from left: Moderator Arnie Weissmann
Fort Lauderdale - Arab Today

A panel of cruise line presidents reaffirmed their commitment to agents and tackled topics such as brand differentiation and the relevance of cruise line categories on Friday, the final day of the CruiseWorld show here.
At the beginning of the panel, co-moderated by Mary Pat Sullivan and Travel Weekly editor in chief Arnie Weissmann, Crystal Cruises CEO Edie Rodriguez expressed her gratitude to agents.
"Agents are paramount to us," she said. "I'm sure most cruise lines, if they were truthful, would tell you probably about 50% of their bookings come direct and the other 50% through travel consultants. At all things Crystal, over 90% of our bookings come through you guys. ... It is a partnership, it is a symbiotic relationship. We need your help."
CRUISEWORLD300x171
Windstar Cruises president John Delaney said that it is important for small-ship lines such as Windstar to get its brand message out to agents at events like CruiseWorld. Following up on Rodriguez's comments, he said: "We're not one of the 50% brands. We are very highly travel agent-sourced."
On the subject of whether ship classifications are still relevant, Norwegian Cruise Line CEO Andy Stuart said, "I don't really worry about it," adding that although parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has worked hard to differentiate its three brands -- Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises -- a ship such as the Norwegian Escape offers experiences at a variety of price points.
"We'll have guests on that ship who have saved all year. They're in an inside stateroom and they've paid $900, and they're thrilled. It's their week of a lifetime," he said. "Then we'll have people in the Haven who spent $20,000 for that same seven days. So to try to buttonhole the person on that ship into any category, I think, is very difficult."
The mission for agents, Stuart said, is to decide whether a luxury client would be better suited to something like the Haven, which was designed to fill a gap in the luxury category for younger couples and families, or a sailing with Regent, which targets an older demographic.
Rodriguez said that ship categories "need to exist."
"In luxury, a true luxury guest doesn't want to be with other people who are not in their category," she said. "They want that intimacy of smaller ships."
As at many CruiseWorld sessions over the previous two days, the subject of the presidential election came up. Delaney said that he hoped that Cuba "remains open as a destination," and joked that with new cruise lines such as Viking and Virgin, he was glad president-elect Donald Trump, as a hotelier and thus a part of the travel industry, was too busy this year to launch a Trump cruise line. "At least it keeps the industry a little smaller," he said.
MSC Cruises president Roberto Fusaro echoed sentiments expressed by other panelists in saying that post-election, potential clients are more comfortable making spending decisions: "The decision is clear one way or the other."
He said that while there is uncertainty about what Trump's election might mean for the industry -- "there wasn't a lot of policy discussion during the campaign" -- he said the cruise industry "has shown to be very resilient ... and I think the growth path will continue."

Source: Travelweekly

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

agent sales critical especially for small cruise lines agent sales critical especially for small cruise lines

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

agent sales critical especially for small cruise lines agent sales critical especially for small cruise lines

 



GMT 13:42 2015 Saturday ,04 April

Libyan warplane targets camp in Gharyan town

GMT 15:14 2017 Wednesday ,01 March

UN documents nearly 1,500 child soldiers in Yemen

GMT 07:24 2017 Sunday ,01 October

Mexico unlikely to find more quake survivors

GMT 16:15 2015 Wednesday ,11 November

German intelligence 'spied' on Fabius, FBI, UN bodies

GMT 01:32 2017 Saturday ,15 April

Russia's Putin earns about 157,000 USD in 2016

GMT 16:30 2017 Saturday ,15 July

Minister of planning gives priority

GMT 19:45 2017 Wednesday ,05 April

President of Senegal Meets Attorney General

GMT 05:18 2017 Thursday ,21 September

Over 80 missing after migrant boat sinks off Libya

GMT 19:22 2017 Saturday ,01 April

UN: Number of Syrian Refugees Tops 5 million

GMT 15:16 2016 Thursday ,29 September

FBI to put up database on police use of deadly force

GMT 05:06 2016 Friday ,30 September

Indian markets open flat
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday