p24 UKCC Cruise feb13 10/2/09 17:51 Page 24
news convention preview
ttglive.com
UK Cruise Convention 2009
June 17-19, 2009 ■ Dover
In the latest preview of this year’s UK Cruise
our ship
Convention, Lee Hayhurst
Video y
looks at how agents
can find out more to harness the power of the web
visits and upload
Learn how to make
clips on your site
NEW TECHNOLOGIES are helping agents to
showcase their expertise and experience of the
a website that sells
cruise sector online.
Ships visits and inaugural naming events offer
agents the perfect opportunity to not only try out
the product but create content for their sites.
Lee Hayhurst.
how agents can make small, inexpensive changes Digital cameras and even pocket video
TRAVEL agents’ cruise websites should reflect to their websites to increase their effectiveness. cameras have become the must-have accessory
the fact that the vast majority of cruise “We will look at a couple of examples of good at these events, with agents often vying to be the
customers use the internet to research their practice,” he said. first to post images on their sites or blogs.
holidays, as opposed to buying online. “We will talk about search optimisation and Andy Harmer, Ace business development
Technology allowing automated booking and pay per click campaigns, but it’s really about director, said this can help the agent reassure the
access to live pricing is developing quickly building a sense of community.” customer that they are an expert in their field.
through the likes of convention headline sponsor Harmer said there were good examples “From an agent perspective, it’s about being
Traveltek, among others. of agents using the internet’s power to put able to explain to a consumer that they have
But still 80% of bookings come though a themselves at the centre of online social actually seen these ships themselves, touched
travel agent, either face to face in store or networks interested in cruise. and felt the product and that they have this
over the phone, according to Ace business
Cruise.co.uk last week made public for the first firsthand experience,” he said.
development director Andy Harmer. time the results of its consumer survey incorpo- Unique content that
The opening day of the convention will feature rating 12,000 individual customer reviews. incorporates
a session called “Building a website that sells”, run Last year Ideal Cruising launched Inside video and images,
by Tracey Cheffey, Yahoo travel category director. Cruise, a social networking site on which lines as well as helping
Harmer said the session will offer advice on and even rival agents can promote their deals. to inform poten-
tial customers, also
Book now!
improves websites’ “visibil-
ity” on search engines.
Delegate places are filling fast for the UK Cruise Convention 2009. To book your place go to The technology that pow-
ukcruiseconvention.org. The cost for delegate prices has been pegged at £50, the same as in ers Google, by far the most
2007. Ace has also negotiated special rates for local hotels. Optional ships visits are available, powerful of all the search
including: HAL’s Prinsendam on June 17, Fred Olsen Cruise Line’s Braemar on June 18 and engines in travel, gives a
Princess Cruises’ Tahitian Princess and Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Symphony on June 20. higher ranking for sites with
this sort of content.
Successful cruise websites include
1st4cruising.com,
cruise.co.uk,
thomascook.com/cruise, savensail.com and
idealcruising.co.uk
24 13.02.2009
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