Cruise lines denied moving to e-docs was a way of driving up the level of direct sales.
Jo Rzymowska, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines UK general manager, said online was “criticial for search” for cruise customers but that the level of bookings remained very small, at around 2%.
She was responding to a question during an operators’ panel debate at the UK Cruise Convention held in Southampton.
“That will change over time as cruisers become more experienced and the next generation will use the internet as a norm,” Rzymowska said.
“But the point of e-docs is not about driving more online business. It’s about getting documents to clients as quickly as possible and in the most efficient way possible.”
Rzymowska said just as travellers no longer expect to be sent airline tickets they will be comfortable not having paper documents for cruise.
And she said having all the documentation online gives clients opportunity to find out more about their cruise and agents to provide a better service.