NEWS CONFERENCE REPORT
Clia Conference: More than 600 agents and suppliers attended the 11th annual cruise event last week. Natasha Salmon reports from Southampton
Gavin Smith, Royal Caribbean Cruises
Christine Duffy,
Carnival Cruise Line
‘Target group bookings to earn more commission’
Specialist group bookings are key to high commission earning and attracting customers to river cruising, agents were told at the annual Clia Conference. AmaWaterways boss Rudi
Schreiner told the audience that focused selling was central to the growth of the river cruise market. The line’s president and
co-owner said: “It is about agents taking advantage of specialist groups. Why do these people want to travel? Is it for wine or cycling, offers, specialist cruises? These are the customers agents should target.” Schreiner was joined on
stage by TV presenter John Craven who said: “You see a totally new way of travelling when you go river cruising. It is amazing what these lines can do to enhance your time and how many countries you can see in one go.”
Smith admits cruise lines ba
Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Gavin Smith admitted cruise lines could do better at communicating with customers and rely on agents to push their message.
The keynote speaker told Clia Conference delegates that while the cruise industry was “relentless” at adapting to changes in currency or destination, it still largely left it to the trade to steer customers to the right cruise. Smith, senior vice-president
international for Royal Caribbean Cruises, said: “The high street and agent model is very fondly regarded because it is in that face-to-face environment that the education is provided by the retailer. “Despite our rhetoric of what
we do, the communication side we don’t do terribly well. After [customers] go home, we’re less good and know less about them. “So we really will continue to be dependent on our colleagues – agents – in the distribution system.” In a separate speech, the
president of Carnival Cruise Line hailed the growing number of
10
travelweekly.co.uk 1 June 2017
“[Cruise lines] really will continue to be dependent on agents for distribution
women gaining senior roles in the industry. Christine Duffy said “diversity” was on the up with more women running cruise lines. Duffy became the first female
president of her cruise line in 2015. Addressing delegates at last week’s Clia Conference in Southampton, she spoke about her journey from travel agent to boss of the world’s biggest cruise operator. “I was the first female president
of CCL, which was exciting,” she said. “Before me, Ann Sherry became chief executive for Carnival in Australia, then we had Jan Schwartz as president of Princess. Lisa Lutoff-Perlo is president at Celebrity and Edie Rodriguez is president of Crystal. “Today we are seeing more and more women running cruise lines
and that does make a lot of sense to us because we know women are the primary decision-makers when it comes to choosing a holiday. “At Carnival we really believe it
is important that we reflect who our guests are. “Clearly, diversity matters, including diversity of thinking, not only in gender. We have such a bright future ahead as an industry.”
Cruise118 duo win Princess sing-off
Agents Sara Creeney and Lauren Wood of Cruise118 were crowned winners of the Princess Cruises variety show sing-off at the Clia Conference. The duet sung Ed Sheeran’s
Castle on the Hill. They were part of ‘Team Lucy’, led by Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley. The other finalists were Helen Pring of Thomson and Kelly Marsh of Bolsover Cruise Club.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90
