NEWS YOU CAN USE — CRUISE NEWS
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CRUISE NEWS YOU CAN USE
MSC Cruises launches trade website to help agents ‘buy into the brand’ Hollie-Rae Merrick
MSC Cruises is set to introduce a new online training programme for agents and a customer-facing website.
The additions follow the launch of MSC’s new agent booking platform and new smartphone app. Speaking in her first trade
interview, the line’s new head of sales, Janet Parton, who joined from Carnival UK, said educating agents would be key to growing the brand.
“Some agents still think of what
MSC was six or seven years ago, but the ships and the on-board offering is so different now and it’s important we get across how amazing that is,” she said. “Our online training will get
our key USPs and messages across and we’re looking to launch it in the next month.”
Fred Olsen combines Far East product in brochure for first time
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines is bringing together its Far East product in a brochure for the first time. The Enjoy the Best of the Far
East programme features sailings departing between January and April 2015. The itineraries range from 15 to 34 nights, with destinations including Kuala Lumpur; Jeju City, South Korea; Komodo Island, Indonesia; Tokyo; and Dubai. Two and three-night pre or
post-cruise stays are also available in a number of destinations. Sailings include Balmoral’s 15-night Temples, Dragons and Islands of Japan cruise, departing Kuala Lumpur on February 14. The line’s Enjoyment Promise,
where guests will be flown home and given a refund if they
28 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 9 October 2014 The training programme
will take two or three hours to complete and can be done in stages. Parton has spent her first three
months at MSC visiting agents up and down the country. She said a large proportion
don’t enjoy their cruise, is also applicable on the Asia sailings when booked at least 14 weeks in advance. Fred has also created a new Christmas cruising mini brochure. The Fred’s Festive Cruising range features 13 cruises including four new sailings from Liverpool. The sailings, on Boudicca, are two two- night Dublin cruises departing on December 10 or 12, a four-night Irish Christmas Markets cruise on December 14 and a Christmas Party sailing on December 18.
fredolsencruises.com
ANTHEM OF THE ROAD: Royal Caribbean International hit the road last month to train 800 Tui agents on its new ship Anthem of the Seas. The ship, due to launch in April 2015, will be the line’s second Quantum-class ship, following the launch of Quantum of the Seas next month. Agents, including Angela Blackler (left) and Emma Carter, from Tui’s Plymouth store, learnt about the technology on board. Anthem will offer a range of three to 16-night itineraries with a focus on taster cruises to encourage more bookings from non-cruisers.
cruisingpower.co.uk
of MSC bookings came from independent agencies, and they would be key to growing the brand. She added that the line would
achieve its goal only through “more agents buying into the brand” and understanding it better. To help the line build relationships
MSC Orchestra. Inset: head of
sales, Janet Parton
with more independent agents, MSC has joined Tipto and is looking to expand both its sales team and call centre staff. Parton said it was important that more agents get to see MSC’s product and she promised that agents would still have a chance to get on board next year, despite the line pulling its ex-UK ship. Speaking about the new
website, the line’s chief executive, Gianni Onorato, said: “We need to keep improving and that is a challenge, but there is good momentum for the MSC product. “We have released a new B2B
platform for agents and we will release a new B2C website for customers.” Onorato said he was aware MSC hadn’t always been easy to work with in the UK, but the new booking system had been well received.
mscbook.com
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