P&O Cruises will review the relationships it has with travel agents as part of ‘Elevation’, a three-year £14 million programme of investment in its ships and shore-side facilities.
Following the recent refit of Oriana, all five ships in the fleet will be refurbished with new bedding, restaurants and entertainment with a focus on luxury, health and fitness and, on its family-friendly ships, children’s facilities.
Managing director of parent company Carnival UK David Dingle said Elevation will also have a trade-focused side, conceding that P&O Cruises, and marketing arm Complete Cruise Solution that includes Cunard, Princess Cruises and Ocean Village, needs to improve the way it works with the trade.
“We are asking ourselves a lot of questions about how we can work more flexibly with agents,” said Dingle. “At this time of year in terms of the commercial and business relationships with agents we are already thinking about 2008.”
With all four CCS brands due to welcome new ships in 2007 and 2008, Dingle said there needs to be “a step up in travel agent support”.
P&O Cruises is considering an early launch of its 2007/08 brochure in April and could bring out a separateebrochure for Ventura, the largest ship ever built for the UK market that will enter service in 2008.
Head of brand marketing Philip Price said Ventura requires P&O Cruises to find 124,000 new customers. “We might bring out a separate brochure or marketing campaign. If we put Ventura in the main brochure there’s a possibility it won’t get the focus we’re looking for.”