HOLLAND America Line is hoping its relatively small presence in the UK market will be an asset as it looks to grow business by 50% over the next year.
Sales for the Carnival-owned cruiseline, which operates 13 ships in all the key cruise destinations, are up 60% year-on-year but the cruiseline says it is unlikely to hit its own target of doubling UK business in the current financial year.
However, launching the 2007 Worldwide Cruise Holidays brochure, director of sales and marketing Lynn Narraway said the cruiseline’s emphasis on destinations and the relatively high revenues available for agents on an average spend of £1,800 should stand it in good stead.
“Agents can make as much on one of our bookings as they can from maybe two or three bookings on other mass-market brands,” she said.
“Holland America Line is an easy-to-sell premium product and a good entry point into the cruise market for agents.
“Although we are a mass market premium brand we are more destination-specific and niche. Because we are small we have very close relationships with our agent partners. We don’t have online technology; we do answer the phone.”
Narraway said the last year has seen hundreds of new agents selling Holland America Line and existing agents increasing their productivity.
She said last year’s Travel Weekly cruise roadshows had proved productive in recruiting new agents to the brand.
The cruiseline’s own training programme has seen 250 agents trained since January, with ship visits in UK ports and DVDs and training manuals on offer.
Heading south for winter
HOLLAND America Line has included an extended programme of longer cruises to exotic destinations in the latest UK brochure.
Last year’s first programme to Australia and New Zealand proved more popular than expected, albeit on small numbers, with 400 UK
passengers heading south.
Around 50% of bookings from UK customers are for Alaska but Holland America Line believes there are also opportunities for agents to promote South America, Hawaii, Tahiti and Southeast Asia, with Vietnam being offered next year.
Flycruise packages are available on all but South Pacific and Asia cruises and for itineraries in South America, where UK director of sales and marketing Lynn Narraway said the problem is a lack of airlift.
However, she said there are opportunities in these areas for agents to create their own packages.
Also new are three and four-night Caribbean mini-cruises out of Fort Lauderdale, starting at £379 per person cruise-only, new Mediterranean cruises, and a second season Down Under.