AUSTRALIANS ARE FLOCKING TO SILVERSEA IN droves, with bookings for European and Alaskan voyages showing a significant spike, whilst there is also “an exceptional surge in interest” for its 2012 season. On a global scale Australia remains the company’s third largest source market, making up 16% of the Silversea’s overall...
AUSTRALIANS ARE FLOCKING TO SILVERSEA IN
droves, with bookings for European and
Alaskan voyages showing a significant spike,
whilst there is also “an exceptional surge in
interest” for its 2012 season.
On a global scale Australia remains the
company’s third largest source market, making
up 16% of the Silversea’s overall business.
Speaking to CW last week, Silversea’s
regional director, Australia and NZ, Karen
Christensen, attributed the spike to having
pricing in both Australian and US dollars, as
well as the company’s decision to instate a
global equity in pricing.
“Without a doubt, people at this level of
the market that want to play the money
market, they want to hedge their bets and
play with the US dollar,” Christensen said.
“Then you have clients who want to pay in
Australian dollars.”
In terms of the company’s global equity in
pricing, Christensen said it had levelled out
the playing field and made the market fair.
“We’re not competing against our own
office as well,” she said.
The booking surge itself has come from
both new customers, drawn by
the lure of Silver Spirit, as well as the company’s
“extremely loyal” past passenger base.
Other long-term contributing factors to
Silversea’s success in the face of the volatile
market of the past few years, according to
Christensen, have included the company’s
decision to value-add instead of discount.
“We don’t want to play the price war and
the luxury market doesn’t need to do that.
“The luxury highend traveller does not
mind paying the price, but you must always
deliver a high quality product,” she said.
As such, Silversea’s value-add Passport to
Luxury program, introduced in the face of
the GFC, has helped the cruise line maintain
its customer base, whilst drawing new luxury
travellers to the brand.
“When we introducted Passport to Luxury
we could have easily discounted the price,
but that’s not what this product deserves
and the end-buyer is not interested in a
discounted price but rather what they’re
going to get for their money,” she said.
MEANWHILE agents wanting to become
Silversea experts will be excited to learn that
the wait is almost over for a Silversea
training program, with Christensen
confirming the company is planning to roll
out its Silversea Academy throughout
Australia and NZ “hopefully in the not too
distant future” (probably this year).
