The Association of Cruise Experts (ACE) will be holding its second National Cruise Week from September 20-27.
The event is designed to help travel agents promote cruise holidays and boost sales by holding events and running promotions highlighting the benefits of cruise.
ACE will be supporting agents with event ideas and promotional packs, including a poster featuring the winning photograph from the association’s Focus on Cruise competition.
ACE’s 3,000 travel agency members can, from Friday August 14, submit details of their events at www.cruisexperts.org. ACE is also advising them to read its e-newsletters for the latest information on National Cruise Week.
According to ACE, the current cruise trend is towards longer cruises with more people sailing from a UK port. Ten new cruise ships will be launched this year, with another 29 on order through to 2012, including ships dedicated to the UK market such as P&O Cruises’ Azura, Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Eclipse, all of which will launch in 2010.
Last year 83% of the 1.5 million Britons who took a cruise booked through a travel agent, said ACE.