Cruise pricing is likely to remain at current levels following a “very welcome year of yields”, according to the managing director of Bolsover Cruise Club.
Michael Wilson predicted prices would be maintained and emphasised how well the UK market had performed this year despite cost-of-living and inflation pressures.
“I don’t see prices going down – and I hope they don’t because this year, the increase in yields has been very welcome,” he told Travel Weekly during a webinar hosted by Royal Caribbean.
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Despite a successful year, Iglu.com chief commercial officer David Mills called on cruise lines to help agents boost efficiency in such a “complex sector” by providing more package options.
“Retailing cruise is a complicated business, which is why specialists tend to do very well,” he said.
“Whether you’ve cruised 1,000 times or never before, there’s a lot to think about, so anything we can do to reduce those hurdles is a good thing,” he added. “Package it up and make it easy to book. It doesn’t mean that products can’t be separated.”
However, Hays Travel strategy director Lisa McAuley encouraged agents to balance selling pre-packaged and self-package holidays, saying “people want more than just a flight and a cruise”.
“I am not sure we would necessarily want Royal Caribbean to [package holidays] because for those of us who’ve got tour operating arms, that’s where our specialism comes in,” she said.
McAuley highlighted the “huge challenge” agents face to understand the differences between cruise lines alongside other holiday types, saying lines “cannot underestimate” the workload that goes into educating the trade.
Stuart Byron, director of sales at Royal Caribbean International, pledged to work with agents to “optimise” business, but said the line was facing a “double-edged sword” with such a strong booked position prohibiting fam trip opportunities.
“Last year, we had a lot of opportunity to get agents on board and experience the brand as part of our return to service. But we’re so well sold this year that there literally haven’t been the cabins for us to be able to do that,” he said.
“We’re really keen to make sure we’re working with agents to optimise business and that we continue to build opportunities for everyone.”
More: Special Report: Royal Caribbean targets record sales as ship launches loom