| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 14/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 13 |
| Copyright: Other |
When Airtours’ cruise product was initially launched it was aimed at multiples but the company is now looking to work closely with independent agents and cruise specialists.
Vicky wilby
As anyone in the travel industry knows, the growth in cruising over the last few years has been phenomenal.The latest statistics from the Passenger Shipping Association show a four-fold increase last year compared to the early 1990s and it is fair to say that much of this growth has been tour operator driven.
Airtours was the first tour operator cruising with the launch of its ship, Seawing, in the summer of 1995.
While there is still potential for further expansion, we cannot expect this pace to hold up without significant energy and drive from both the cruise operators and retailers.
It is vital to be realistic. The current more competitive climate, combined with the much wider range of cruising now available, means it has never been more important for agents to know the product and be able to distinguish the options.
When we launched our dedicated cruise division five years ago, it is fair to say that much of our supportive attention was focused on the multiples.
However, over the past couple of years, as our product and customer profile has developed and the Airtours brand has firmly established itself, we have actively extended our support to the independent sector.
The appointment of a dedicated cruise sales manager, Colin Currie, shows our determination to help agents sell more cruises and highlights our commitment to this area of the retail market.
To support this intention, Airtours recently joined PSARA – the Passenger Shipping Association’s Retail Agents’ training scheme.
PSARA gives us access to around 1,000 travel agent members who have shown serious commitment to selling cruises and with whom we want to strengthen our relationships.
As part of this, we will be offering educational incentives within PSARA’s Agent Accreditation Scheme.
The quality of cruise packages has certainly not been compromised by the introduction of lower-priced cruising as some may have initially feared.
By establishing our own cruise division, we are able to control the quality of the ships and the level of on-board service. The division has also aided the positioning of our vessels – boosting exotic packages.
The entry of Airtours into the UK cruise market initially attracted a somewhat doubtful reaction from travel industry sceptics but I would ask them to agree their prophecies of gloom were a vast misjudgment. Tour operator cruising has come of age.
“The quality of cruise packages has not been compromised by lower-priced cruising”