Rising flight prices will show the value of taking a cruise instead of a land-based holiday, industry experts have said.
Ben Bouldin, Royal Caribbean International vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, has argued the value of a cruise is “incredible” when comparing the price with that of flights, accommodation, food and drink during a land-based holiday.
He urged travel agents to emphasise that value to those customers who are considering booking a land-based holiday, and to break down the cost and show them what they can get for their money on a cruise.
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Bouldin, who is also the chair of Clia, said: “The inherent value of a cruise holiday is clear: for what we offer, it is incredibly good value for money.
“This year, we will likely see flight prices increase – I have even seen some budget airlines offering flights from the UK to Rome for up to £500 – and if you look at the cost of going overseas on a land-based holiday, you’ll see cruise will fare well against it.”
Chief executive of Cosmos and Avalon Waterways UK Giles Hawke said: “If you pay £600 for a return flight to a destination, but can do a fly-cruise for only slightly more, then people will really see the value of the cruise.”
Lynn Narraway, vice-president of Seabourn UK and Europe, went on to encourage agents to use increasing flight prices as a reason for customers to book sooner rather than later, which would give them the opportunity to extend the booking curve out to 2024 and 2025 holidays.
“We don’t have ex-UK cruises and we know the cost of flights is increasing so this is an opportunity for our travel partners to push the booking curve further out and get people to book now for the next two years before flight prices go up.”