Market research, highlighting value for money compared with land-based travel, destination focus and launching a YouTube channel are among the diverse areas being tackled in the industry in readiness for the year ahead.
We asked six cruise executives and agents to tell us about their New Year business resolutions, how they’re getting ready for 2024, their key focuses and predictions for what lies ahead in cruising.
“I’m embarking on an exciting venture”
“I’m about to embark on an exciting new venture launching my brand new travel YouTube channel. I’ll be featuring sustainable travel tips, remarkable cruise line experiences, and offbeat destinations to inspire future travel. I will continue to focus on my top selling destinations Canada, South Africa and Australia, and look to develop expedition cruising and the polar region. The ever-growing popularity of cruising shows no sign of slowing down and I am really looking forward to a very exciting year.”
Joanne Ioannou, Travel Counsellors
Australia is a top selling destination for Ioannou. Image: Princess Cruises
“Customers are central to our development”
“We’re excited about the direction our product is heading, with the recent announcement of our next Edge Series ship, Celebrity Xcel, and launch of Celebrity Ascent. Customers are central to our development. We continue to go to great lengths to truly understand their ever-changing needs through comprehensive market research, actively seeking feedback, and a vigilant eye on industry trends. 2024 brings a focus on destination; with our Edge series ships in all of our top destinations, tailored experiences and our first private island experience on Perfect Day at CocoCay.”
Giles Hawke, VP & managing director, EMEA, Celebrity Cruises
Perfect Day is Celebrity Cruises’ first private island experience. Image: RCI
“We’ll work hard to educate agents”
“As a dedicated B2B brand in the UK, our 2024 focus will be to continue to form long-term partnerships with the trade and help them build a successful river cruise product portfolio. We’ll work hard to educate and train agents on A-Rosa’s multi-generational and family river cruising offering, to ensure they consider it as a European family holiday option for customers. Sustainability also remains a core focus as we work with both destinations and stakeholders to develop our roadmap to achieving our key sustainability goals for the future.”
Lucia Rowe, managing director, A-Rosa River Cruises UK & Ireland
Agents will be trained to sell multi-gen and family river cruises. Image: A-Rosa
“We’re anticipating year-on-year increases”
“I see 2024 meeting and enhancing customer demand we’ve seen across 2023. We’re anticipating further year-on-year increases in customer numbers, with the Mediterranean, northern Europe and the Caribbean once again leading the way as our most popular destinations. We will build in customer interest in ‘seacations’ and expect holidaymakers to continue to sail around the British Isles at consistently high levels, as people further realise all the benefits of getaways at sea compared to on land. We will also focus on the boom in solo holidays, which also continues apace.”
Tony Andrews, managing director, cruise.co.uk
British Isles cruises are likely to be popular in 2024
“We expect a buoyant market”
“Against the backdrop of a challenging economic outlook, with parts of the world experiencing unrest, from a luxury and ultra-luxury cruise perspective we remain cautiously optimistic for 2024. We expect the market to be buoyant with customers continuing the trend of booking further out, for longer durations and spending more than ever, as they continue to make up for the lost years of the pandemic. In line with this, we expect to further grow our business and team, as well as grow sales with all of our cruise line partners.”
James Cole, founder & CEO, Panache Cruises
Luxury cruising is set to be buoyant in the coming year. Image: Regent Seven Seas
“We’ll raise added-value awareness”
“We’re increasingly focussing on the value of our river cruise product, as so much is included in the price, which potential travellers may not be aware of. With the likes of flights, transfers and all on-board meals covered in the fare, as well as our ‘superior’ drinks package in 2024, we will raise awareness of the added value on offer. The river cruise sector has made great strides in highlighting all the benefits of a holiday on the water, and we’ll continue to promote those alongside the value messaging.”
Sarah Fowler, marketing director, Riviera Travel
cruise-adviser.com/
Tags: Sarah Fowler, Riviera Travel, James Cole, Panache Cruises, Tony Andrews, cruise.co.uk, Lucia Rowe, A-Rosa River Cruises UK & Ireland, Giles Hawke, Celebrity Cruises, Joanne Ioannou, Travel Counsellors, Jeannine Williamson
