A dedicated cruise-focused marketing campaign has been instigated by Advantage Travel Partnership to help drive enquiries and bookings.
The ‘Back on the Water’ promotion coincides with what is usually a key month for cruise bookings, according to the consortium of independent agents.
Advantage is working with key suppliers to drive cruise interest throughout September following a summer when UK domestic cruise bookings provided a “lifeline” to agents.
The campaign will include activity and assets for members to share and inspire their customers for future cruise holidays as the industry prepares for the restart of international sailings.
Advantage has created a new issue of its consumer magazine, ‘Navigate’, which has been designed specifically for the campaign and comprises of editorial content with updates, tips and advice about both ocean and river cruising, and carrying partner advertising.
The digital magazine, together with social media and website banners, will be made available for members to use in their own marketing.
Advantage will also work with suppliers to share tailored cruise month holiday offers which will be uploaded to a dedicated ‘hot offer’ Facebook group for members to lift and share across their own social media channels.
Each participating cruise line partner will be given its own page on the Advantage members extranet, enabling them to share latest campaign offers and promotions, plus training videos and additional marketing resources for members to use.
An extensive communications plan spanning solus emails to Advantage ‘Cruise Champs’, membership-wide emails and newsletters, plus social media messages in the Advantage members’ private Facebook group, will keep members updated throughout the month.
Advantage head of marketing David Forder said: “The introduction of ‘seacations’ earlier this year has driven a new customer base to cruise and has also been a lifeline for many of our members over the last few months.
“Our dedicated cruise campaign aims to capitalise on this and support members with both customer retention and acquisition activity, by targeting those wanting to get back to all other types of cruising.
“Over the last four weeks we have seen a 39% increase in cruise bookings verses the prior four weeks, so this campaign is perfectly timed to help members further boost their cruise bookings.”