Throughout this past week, more than 1,000 travel agency franchise owners and agents have explored Carnival Cruise Line’s new Carnival Vista, sailing from Miami, during the CruiseOne, Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc. 2016 National Conference. The three brands are part of World Travel Holdings (WTH).
Praising the agency owners and agents for “building their knowledge so they can better serve their customers,” Debbie Fiorino, senior vice president, said “it’s no surprise to me that conference attendees who have spent a week immersing themselves in the cruise experience and participating in educational workshops historically experience a 23 percent sales increase after attending our annual national conference.”
Saturday’s general session featured closing remarks from Adolfo Perez, vice president of sales and trade marketing, Carnival Cruise Line; Brad Tolkin, co-CEO and chairman, WTH; Fiorino; and Drew Daly, general manager of network engagement and performance.
Double Digit Bookings Increase
Speaking to TravelAgentCentral.com, Tolkin reported that WTH’s three brands are having their best year ever for advance bookings: “We are up double digits for 2017…We’re having another phenomenal year.”
Trends in cruise selling? Tolkin cited the continuing renaissance of travel agents and how more consumers, especially Millennials, are turning to agents.
At one conference session, John Gawne, travel agent, Cruises Inc., Virginia Beach, VA, learned that a consumer may make 32 visits to 16 different web sites while looking for a vacation, but increasingly, winds up using a travel agent to book the travel.
“Two thirds of travelers say they had a better experience by using an agent, “Gawne said, noting that 70 percent say it saved them time, 66 percent say it avoided mistakes (such as booking a flight to the country of Liberia rather than Liberia, Costa Rica), and 64 percent got a better deal.”
In another gleaning, Tolkin said that while “big macro events” happened within the past two years, ocean lines have been able to move ships around as needed and, while European river cruising initially took a hit, it’s now recovering too. Booking patterns show that “if they [think they can] avoid the problem areas, they still want to go.”
One lesson the entire industry has learned over the past two years? “We also discovered that regardless of how good business is on the books, we need to keep promotions [value-adds] on the books," emphasized Tolkin.
He believes, “we are in the best of times for the next five years.” One reason is that consumers are respecting the travel professional. There are also more ships in the pipeline, with little or no space in the shipyards, demonstrating the strong capacity growth under way. And, Virgin Cruises will also launch in several years, creating industry buzz, Tolkin added.
Tolkin also pointed to a good economy, a U.S. unemployment rate at a multi-year low, and President-elect Donald Trump’s views on lowering taxes for the middle class.
“The excitement around the future is unprecedented,” Tolkin stressed. Right now, "it's great to be a travel advisor."
Other Highlights
Daly, who had served as the conference’s master of ceremonies, gave an inspirational closing speech to remind attendees of their ability to change customers’ lives by encouraging them to live for today.
With a theme of “One Day I Will,” his presentation reflected on the positive impact a dream vacation has on one’s life – both personally and professionally.
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| Mel Robbins, motivational speaker, delivered a keynote address |
Earlier in the week, Mel Robbins, a motivational speaker and CNN commentator, delivered a high-energy presentation used anecdotes, invigorating music, stunning photography and more to inspire attendees and teach them how to take their business to new heights.
Robbins challenged the retailers’ everyday mental models and revealed specific actions they can take to positively impact the way they do business.
Attendees also received updates from Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, and also Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst, co-owners, AmaWaterways.
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| Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst, co-owners, AmaWaterways |
Since Make-A-Wish is the signature charity of Cruises Inc., CruiseOne, Dream Vacations and parent company World Travel Holdings, Erika Conrad, corporate relations manager at Make-A-Wish America, shared the impact of a wish experience.
She told the story of Deanna, a South Florida toddler whose wish to go to Disney World was granted by World Travel Holdings and celebrated with a send-off party earlier this year.
Conrad also highlighted the different fundraising opportunities during the week, as fundraising for Make-A-Wish is always a major component of the conference week. This year, franchisees, agents, staff and suppliers all participated in such fundraising activities such as guessing next year’s conference date, silent auctions, the fourth annual “Zumba@Sea – Dance For Wishes” and exclusive access to the Skyride and sports deck.
Top travel agents and agency franchise owners were also recognized at the conference. Plus, several new programs or features were introduced to the attendees including new logo for Cruises Inc., a new Groups Concierge program and much more on the marketing and information technology side.
Travel Agent also interviewed Rosemarie Reed, the company’s new vice president of sales and marketing. She had been handling marketing but just recently added the sales responsibilities. She reports to Daly. Kim Faiello is the new director of marketing for the three brands.
“The organizational changes are designed to really create a strategic alliance between sales and marketing and create more synergies,” said Reed, who also provided these tidbits.
• The brands will celebrate three major anniversaries in 2017 – the first year of operations for Dream Vacations; the 35-year anniversary of Cruises Inc.’s founding; and the 25th anniversary of CruiseOne’s founding.
• New anniversary logos are planned, said Reed. Gawne was excited about the new logo for Cruises Inc., to debut in the first quarter. “It will make it clear that we book hotels, cruises and resorts – something we have been asking for,” he said.
• A new promotional calendar within the brands' online business center for retailers is being introduced. “With one click of the calendar, an agent can see when all the promotions are running,” Reed said.
• For 2016, the brands hit an all time high – 82 percent – for agency owners participating in voluntary marketing brand participation programs. “Our agents are engaged and they like the program,” said Reed. Overall, she’s seen a 22 percent increase in marketing brand participation year over year.
• While the brands have many techie marketing features and perks, most interestingly is that “our reach with direct mail is off the chart,” Reed said. “People are going back to the good old days of receiving mail” if it’s targeted and pertinent to their vacation desires.
• Look for the continuation of additional grassroots marketing efforts. A previous food-truck-takeover event was a big hit, said Reed.
• The brands will do less traditional advertising. One example? They'll work with a few social media influencers who bring a significant audience with them. “We’ll looking for more authenticity in the way we brand,” Reed said.
Looking Ahead
Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean's senior vice president, sales, trade support and service, received applause and cheers from the conference participants when it was announced that next year’s conference will kick off October 28 on the new Harmony of the Seas.