Despite some choppy waters, agents are once again recognising the opportunities of a growth sector, says Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley
The restart of cruising in domestic waters was one of the few highpoints of the Covid pandemic and represented a lifeline for many agents who seized on a rare opportunity to generate immediate revenue after months on hold.
Now, as delayed ship handovers, naming ceremonies and inaugural sailings start to come thick and fast, more destinations open to vessels and lines outline plans for the return of full fleets, it feels the sector is once again at the forefront of agents’ minds.
During the depths of the pandemic, Royal Caribbean’s Ben Bouldin warned the restart of operations would be a greater challenge than the abrupt shutdown in 2020, and those challenges have been evident in the form of short-notice cancellations and supply chain issues that have impacted revenue sailings and events such as this week’s launch of Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambience.
Yet despite these occasionally choppy waters, the agents I have spoken to at various cruise-focused gatherings in the past weeks have been largely upbeat about the pace of the sector’s rebound, with a growing number who didn’t previously sell cruise also beginning to recognise and embrace its potential.
The focus of cruise lines and specialist agents over the past decade was the need to attract new customers to fill the capacity coming on stream, and that will become increasingly important again as ships and fleets return to full capacity.
It is imperative that any future challenges are handled well to ensure returning cruisers and agents alike can be the advocates they were prior to the pandemic.