SHIP LAUNCH Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas: Line’s newest and biggest ship departed Barcelona last week


Royal extols trade ties and unveils booking incentive


R


oyal Caribbean’s sales bosses believe the line’s relationship with the trade has been “taken to another


level” since the pandemic began. Speaking on board Wonder of the


Seas as the ship made its inaugural European sailing, group sales director Stuart Byron and head of sales Torey Kings-Hodkin reiterated their commitment to agents as they unveiled a new booking incentive for those selling itineraries on the vessel. Agents who book customers on


Wonder of the Seas between May 7-15 will get a £40 commission bonus (€50 in Ireland) for every booking they make, and their customers will enjoy added benefits on board as a result. “This is just another chance for us


to show our support and appreciation to the trade,” said Kings-Hodkin. “Not only that, but the incentive is a great tool for agents to close a sale.” Byron said it was “awesome”


watching agents take in the new Oasis-class ship for the first time as they stepped on board for the two-day trade sailing. “We’ve always enjoyed


a particularly close working relationship with all our travel agent partners in the UK market,” he said. “The trade channel is particularly


important for us; it always has been and always will be. “But one of the learnings from the


last two years is that the relationship has been taken to another level, with the trade becoming an intrinsic part of managing what has been a whole world of complexities.” He added: “It’s been a lot for


agents to cope with, so to see them come on board Wonder


Splashaway Bay


and watch them all react in the same way has been awesome. The atmosphere has been immense.” Byron added it was the “perfect


time” to launch Wonder in Europe as post-pandemic momentum builds ahead of summer. Wonder has been “selling


brilliantly”, said Kings-Hodkin, who expects demand to grow further after the ship’s inaugural Mediterranean voyage, which was attended by media from around the world. Byron predicted last year that


2022 would be Royal Caribbean’s strongest ever year, but with Omicron and the Ukraine crisis dashing those hopes, he said the line was now turning its attention to the back-end of 2022 and next year. “We weren’t expecting Omicron


to hit or the conflict in Ukraine, but over the last three months momentum has kicked back in like never before and we’re outpunching where we were in 2019,” he said. “We are going to finish 2022


really strong in the UK and European markets, and 2023 is shaping up to be an epic year for the brand.”


AGENTS’ VIEWS


Karen Stewart, head of cruise product and commercial, Stewart Travel “The ship is


absolutely stunning – these ships just get better and better. There’s something for not just families but couples too, which is something that I’ve really taken away from it.”


Sandra Corkin, managing director, Oasis Travel “You always think of these large ships as


family ships, which they are, but places like the solarium, which is beautifully decorated and a gorgeous place to relax, means we would definitely be looking to sell this to adults in the off-season.”


Alison Earnshaw, managing director, Cruise118 “Royal Caribbean has once again surpassed


anything you think can possibly be done on a cruise. I would say that Windjammer [buffet] is one of my favourite changes from the other Oasis-class ships as it has more space. I love it.”


Gary Lewis, chief executive, The Travel Network Group “The Playmakers


Sports Bar and the community they have tried to create in that part of the ship is spectacular. To gather there, drink and socialise with the group was fantastic.”


Ultimate Family Suite


Wonder of the Seas


12


12 MAY 2022


travelweekly.co.uk


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