CRUISE is an increasingly important product segment for TravelManagers, with year-to-date cruise sales across the network already amounting to more than one and a half times the same period last year. “The growth is phenomenal,” according to Joe Araullo (pictured), Chief Executive Officer of TravelManagers’ parent company House of Travel....
CRUISE is an increasingly important product segment for TravelManagers, with year-to-date cruise sales across the network already amounting to more than one and a half times the same period last year.
“The growth is phenomenal,” according to Joe Araullo (pictured), Chief Executive Officer of TravelManagers’ parent company House of Travel.
He told Cruise Weekly the group is actively encouraging its home-based travel advisors to not only become members of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), but to also undertake their CLIA Masters accreditation.
Cruise lines continue to actively partner with the organisation (see page 2) and TravelManagers is also building its own in-house product by creating packages combining cruise with air and land content.
Groups are also a key focus, with individual TravelManagers encouraged to take advantage of generous incentives such as free tour cabins, additional onboard amenities and reduced discounts to help boost margins.
During the TravelManagers conference in Christchurch on Sat, Norwegian Cruise Line and Globus unveiled two exclusive package departures for members to sell into, one being a European odyssey combining a river cruise aboard Avalon Waterways’ new Douro ship in Portugal connecting with a Norwegian Viva Mediterranean itinerary cruising out of Lisbon.
The second offer is a Norwegian Bliss Alaskan cruise combined with a Globus tour of Western Canada including a Rocky Mountaineer rail journey.
Araullo and TravelManagers Chief Operating Officer Grant Campbell said the ability to access nett cruise rates was also key to long-term growth, pointing to the ease of booking for members, the growth of multi-generational cruise bookings, the all-inclusive nature of many fares and the typically high value of cruise reservations. BP
