Fred Olsen Cruise Lines claims latest research shows it has “the best return rate in the industry” and around a quarter of passengers cruise with the line five times or more.
The findings were revealed at the line’s brochure launch in London on Wednesday (March 4) by marketing and sales director Jackie Martin, who also outlined a new brand strategy.
According to research, carried out in partnership with market research firm YouGov last September, 58% of Fred Olsen passengers sail with the line more than once.
This compares with P&O Cruises (53%), Cunard (48%), Royal Caribbean International (47%), Saga (41%) and Viking Cruises (23%), the line said.
Following the study, the line has decided to adopt a new brand strategy which is outlined in its Worldwide Cruise Holidays 2021-22 brochure.
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Martin (pictured) said: “We have been doing a lot of listening to the trade, our guests and to our team in Ipswich. We have been trying to work out what Fred Olsen does as a brand that is brilliant and what we need to keep hold of and what is it that we need to evolve.
“We have been doing a lot of research. We have done a big market study with YouGov that is culminating in a new brand strategy that is in our brochure.
“Fred Olsen attracts huge brand loyalty. Around a quarter of guests cruise with us five times or more. The market-level study we did in September said we have the highest return rate in the whole industry. This correlates with our data and it is a totally independent study.
“If a guest cruises with Fred Olsen Cruise Lines they are more than likely to return with us than any other line.”
However, Martin acknowledged that the line needed to reach a new audience and be different with its marketing approach.
“Although we are really well established we don’t actually differentiate ourselves compared with other lines,” she added.
“Our guests said, and the prospect audience said, that all cruise marketing is pretty much the same.”
On the new branding, Martin said the line wanted to create something that felt “elegant”.
“We are going to be doing a lot of advertising around this – virus or no virus we are out there,” she added.