An agent has celebrated securing more than £30,000 worth of Cunard bookings one week after attending a fam trip.
Christina Astill from GoCruise and Travel sailed on a Norwegian fjords cruise on Queen Mary 2 during the first of eight fam trips Cunard is offering this year.
In the week after her return, Astill booked a new-to-cruise customer a Queens Grille Suite sailing on Queen Anne worth £21,000, and, after showing an existing river cruise client photos from her trip, convinced them to take a world cruise segment sailing on Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to Dubai.
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Astill highlighted the value of educationals and encouraged other agents to view them as more than just a holiday.
Her success comes just weeks after Royal Caribbean International vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa Ben Bouldin warned agents must be held accountable if they attend fam trips and do not make sales.
“I only attend fam trips when I feel it will be beneficial to my business and this trip was a prime example,” said Astill.
“I applied because my Cunard knowledge was a bit rusty and the trip far exceeded my expectations. The enthusiasm exhibited by the hosts was infectious and I was determined to pass that on to my clients.
“I wouldn’t have got either of these bookings were it not for the trip. These fams are so important as clients trust our first-hand experience and opinions.
“Agents should work hard to share what they have seen during these trips and not just treat them as holidays.”
Director of UK sales at Cunard Tom Mahoney said: “This booking illustrates the importance of first-hand product experience.
“We were delighted that Christina had an opportunity to travel on a voyage with us and refresh her understanding of the Cunard experience and recent product enhancements.
“Cunard has offered over 160 fam trip places this year alongside our extensive UK-wide ship visit programme and we’d encourage all interested agents to register so they can similarly sample the fantastic Cunard onboard experience for themselves.”