Luxury cruise line Seabourn says it is seeing “good growth” in early bookings for 2024 as well as strong sales for 2023, thanks to its range of products and add-ons.
It will have four ocean vessels in Europe this summer, sailing in northern Europe and the Mediterranean, plus another ship in Alaska.
A second expedition ship, Seabourn Pursuit, will start sailing later this summer, following the launch last year of its first expedition vessel, Seabourn Venture.
Lynn Narraway, vice-president for Europe and the UK, told a Travel Weekly webcast that this range offered agents “huge potential” for sales.
“We’ve certainly pushed the booking curve out, because we’re out well into 2024 now,” she said.
“And 2023 is actually selling really, really well.
“Our message there is: let’s get our guests to book now for 2023, because we’re already seeing good growth in ’24.”
She said the British market is a “huge part” of Seabourn’s business, with some sailings seeing 45%-50% of passengers from the UK.
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Other new options for agents include more cruise-and-stay holidays, including Asia for the first time.
The cruise line is offering packages that include luxury properties such as Four Seasons Hotel Singapore and The Langham, Sydney.
It is also working with Rocky Mountaineer, the Canadian rail-tour company that operates luxury scenic trains in British Columbia, Alberta, Colorado, and Utah
“We’ll look at doing some Seabourn Alaska cruises with Rocky; Rocky are a really important partner for us,” she said.
“It helps the retail partners to be able to book the whole package through us.”
Wendy Lahmich, sales director, told the webcast that there has been an increase in consumers seeking the type of holiday offered by Seabourn since the pandemic – and more agents are focused on the luxury market too.
The recent creation of a dedicated UK team for Seabourn has also helped to engage more with new agents, added.
“We provide that…six-star level with the all-inclusive offering,” she said.
“Some of the agents in the UK have taken on what we offer and have been able to engage with us.
“Now we’ve got a team that can concentrate on Seabourn, we’ve been able to extend our development skills and concentrate on some of those new agents and help them and support them develop that aspect of their business.”
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