Mainstream online travel agencies are breaking in to the cruise market, prompting concerns among cruise agents that the sector’s discount culture could get worse.
Although recent attempts to establish a presence in cruise by bucket-and-spade retailers have met with limited success, a raft of major players has cruise in its sights.
On the Beach launched a white-label cruise site, backed by Cruise.co.uk, this week, while Sunshine.co.uk, a Hays Travel Independence Group member, is preparing to launch cruise website Bonvoyage.co.uk next year. Travel Republic is also determined to add cruise within the next year, Travel Weekly understands.
The buyout of Ideal Cruising by Lowcost Travel Group indicated its intention to make an even greater assault on the cruise market.
Kirsten Hughes, Travel Counsellors commercial director, said: “The danger with selling online is it becomes purely transactional and there is always going to be someone prepared to sell cheaper.”
Speaking on Allure of the Seas as it made its debut in the US this week, Royal Caribbean bosses welcomed new entrants into the market. Dominic Paul, new UK managing director, said: “New people coming in is good if they bring new cruise customers.”
Jo Rzymowska, UK general manager, said online agents entering the cruise market was a good thing “as long as they were not fishing in the same pond” as established cruise retailers.
Royal Caribbean chief executive Adam Goldstein said: “It’s exciting to think there are meaningful distributors who have not got into the cruise game yet but are indicating a willingness to do so.”
Watch an exclusive interview with Dominic Paul in the December episode of our interview series TWnewsmaker