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news to use CRUISING Tourism Update
ASSOCIATION OF CRUISE EXPERTS
MSC makes cruising child’s play
ANDY HARMER ACE Director Latest figures show that cruising now
accounts for one in eight of all package holidays where it was just one in 25 nine years ago. Much of this growth is down to the work of the many travel agents who present cruise as a holiday option to those who had not previously seen cruising as the holiday choice for them. As more people take a cruise and companies continue to invest and introduce new ships, we are also seeing a growth in specialist sectors within cruise. Whereas once cruising itself was ‘niche’ such has been its growth that specialist areas within the industry are flourishing. One of these is river cruising and
the trend is clear: a significant growth in the number of British passengers taking a European river cruise (up seven per cent in 2011). But we have also seen an increase
in customers buying river journeys further afield. As highlighted at the ACE River Cruise Expo in Amsterdam, there has been a surge in interest in the Yangtze, Mekong and even in more remote destinations like the Zambezi. And what makes these great for
the travel trade are the opportunities to demonstrate our expertise to our customers and to create something bespoke by packaging with some great pre- and post-cruise stays or tours. These destinations and routes
didn’t simply appear – they were created because certain travel agents and river cruise operators thought differently. It is how we can guarantee that cruising will continue to grow and develop. In fact the theme of ‘think differently’ is so important that it will run through our ACE Cruise Convention in May in Southampton. There’s a cruise for everyone!
www.cruiseexperts.org
BY JULIE BAXTER MSC Cruises has revamped and updated its kids programme to better target different age groups. Since mid-January a range of enhancements has been rolled out across the MSC fleet, with a focus on popular sporting activities, arts and crafts, and theatre and technology. Programmes also now feature a broader choice of family events, ranging from parades to scavenger hunts. Just under 15% of MSC clients each
year are children, with this percentage rising to 30% during the summer season. Daniela Picco, MSC Cruises On- board Marketing Manager, said: “It’s our job to ensure that they (kids) have an unforgettable experience, which means keeping them entertained all day.” To achieve this the company now
offers four separate Kids’ Club programmes, each tailored to a specific age group: Mini Club (three- to six-year- olds), Junior Club (seven-11), The
Cruise the key
for Florida The Florida Keys & Key West
Tourism Council has joined the Association of Cruise Experts (ACE) in a bid to raise awareness of pre- and post-cruise holidays in the Florida Keys among cruise agents in the UK. The Keys are a short drive from Port
Miami and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the two busiest cruise ports in the US. Those who plan pre- or post-cruise
add-ons can sample the Keys’ year- round sub-tropical temperatures, history, local seafood and sport-fishing.
www.fla-keys.co.uk
CRUISING IN BRIEF
Royal Monarch on the move Royal Caribbean Cruises is to
transfer Monarch of the Seas from its Royal Caribbean International cruise brand to its Pullmantur brand, a cruise and tour operator based in Madrid, on April 1 2013. Its final sailing under the Royal Caribbean flag departs on March 29 2013.
www.royalcaribbean.com
Queen’s Mississippi wheelie A 23-ton, 28-foot-wide paddlewheel,
built specially for the new riverboat The Queen of the Mississippi, has been installed. The boat is being built by American Cruise Lines and will be ready in May, with its inaugural cruise scheduled for August 11, 2012, from New Orleans to Memphis.
www.americancruiselines.com
Record-breaking Aruba The Aruba Cruise Tourism Authority saw a record rise in cruise passengers in 2011: a 5.4% year-on-year growth equated to more than 600,000 visiting the island. Day visitors to Aruba can take a jeep safari, enjoy some of the region’s best snorkelling or scuba diving or just relax on a beach.
www.aruba.com
www.sellinglonghaul.com • April 2012 11
Y-Team (12 to 14) and MSC Generation teen club (15 to 17). The opening hours of these clubs has
Star gets arty Star Clippers is encouraging guests
to unleash their inner artist on an art- themed fully-crewed sailing voyage in the Caribbean. Guests can learn to sketch and paint
in the company of successful British artist Richard Nichols, against a backdrop of the tall ship under full sail, in some of the world’s most stunning locations including Saint Lucia, Dominica, Antigua, St Kitts, Iles des Saintes and Martinique. The week-long cruise costs from £2,499pp, including full-board on the ship, all tuition and equipment, one night in a Barbados hotel on arrival, return flights and transfers. It departs
also been extended and now runs from 09.00 to 23.00.
www.msccruises.com
December 7. Other art theme cruises are also offered in the Med.
www.starclippers.co.uk
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