p12 Ace Jun 26 24/6/09 20:42 Page 12
news conference report
ttglive.com
Uk Cruise Convention • June 17-19 • Dover
UKCC in brief
■ More to social media than Facebook
Agents must get to grips with a new wave of
search and social media sites to avoid being left
behind and losing touch with their customers,
according to Steve Dunne, of new media strategy
company Digital Drums. Dunne said travel com-
panies should move beyond Google, Facebook
and Twitter to become familiar with sites such
as Metacafe, which allows users to earn money
if their files are downloaded, Daily Motion, a
European equivalent of YouTube, and a search
engine currently in development called Cuil.
■ HAL takes step closer to all-inclusive bookings
Celebrity to check
Holland America Line is running tests on its Polar
booking engine that will allow UK agents to sell
air-inclusive packages for the first time. To date
HAL has been available on Amadeus Cruise, but
out British tastes
agents had to either add on their own flights or
call the HAL UK office to book air under its Atol.
Canadian Affair is among the latest to start work-
ing with the line packaging up cruises in Alaska.
Lee Hayhurst.
cent of the product will be the same, but we want
CELEBRITY Cruises is expected to make only to get the other couple of per cent right.” ■ Make sure your site can handle online sales
minor adjustments to cater for British tastes on The line expects to gain an insight into British Cruise agents were warned to ignore the rising
Celebrity Eclipse, the Solstice-class ship that it requirements this July when Celebrity Equinox, trend of consumers booking online at their peril.
will base in the UK in 2010. the second Solstice-class ship, is officially Kenny Picken, managing director of convention
The line believes much of what the ship does launched in Southampton. headline sponsor Traveltek, said general
has international appeal. The vessel will spend consumer sales online were growing at 16% a
However, it will look at what eight days there, including year. He said agents needed technology that could
changes might be required in a consumer day on July 25 aggregate cruise product quickly and the only
catering and entertainment. and a PSA dinner on July 26. two providers were Traveltek and Amadeus Cruise.
Celebrity food and The line will host 6,000
drinks bosses will sail on UK travel agents during ■ Scour your database for river cruising clients
Independence of the Seas, that period. Jo Rzymowska Agents may be overlooking potential river cruise
the Royal Caribbean ship Equinox: Roving Reader’s verdict (pictured), RCCL UK general clients in their existing database and missing out
that has been based in Creative cruise director, TTG Roving manager, said: “We are on a “huge opportunity”, according to Peter
Southampton, to research Reader and Ace ambassador Jason focusing on explaining what Deilmann managing director Stuart Perl. Perl
British tastes. Peters takes a tour around Celebrity Celebrity stands for, so compared the river cruising sector with the ocean
Dan Hanrahan, Celebrity Equinox with Celebrity Cruises’ that when those agents cruising sector 10 years ago, and said smart
president and chief execu- Dan Hanrahan at ttglive.com/ukcc leave they will sell it to the agents were recognising the potential to target
tive, said: “Ninety-eight per right person.” a relatively affluent client base, who may have
booked coach tours or driving holidays in the past.
FUEL COSTS.
surcharges for a period last year, along with its ■ UKCC 2010 to return to Southampton
RCCL holds off surcharges
competitors, as prices rose to record levels. The UK Cruise Convention will return to
After they fell dramatically the charges were Southampton next year, and talks with Royal
ROYAL Caribbean Cruise Line has held off adding dropped but the line reserved the right to bring Caribbean about holding sessions on ships in port
surcharges, despite fuel prices breaching the them back in if fuel broke the $65 level again. have already started. Last year the conference
level it had stated could spark their reintroduction. However, Dan Hanrahan, Celebrity Cruises sessions were hosted by Southampton Football
Volatility in the oil market has seen marine president and chief executive, said: “We are not Club which meant delegates had to catch coach
fuel drop from a peak of $145 a barrel last year talking about putting them back on.” transfers from the port area.
to $68 now, although it was just $30 at the turn Hanrahan said the operator’s fuel hedging had
of the year. not been “smart” at the beginning of the year
ttglive.com
For the latest news, reviews and comment
Royal Caribbean was forced to bring in when it was “in the red”. from the travel industry, visit ttglive.com
12 26.06.2009
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