Higher cruise prices, bookings increases and new opportunities in land sales are among the results from CruiseOne and Cruises Inc’s joint Quarterly Trend Survey. The survey polled franchise owners and agents on key industry issues indicating a promising start to the year. This includes consistent increases in booking volume and cruise prices.
The results of the survey:
Caribbean and Alaska Continue as Two Top-Selling Cruise Destinations
When asked to list their three top-selling cruise destinations in Q1 2010:
• 73.6 percent indicated the Caribbean as their most popular selling destination
• Alaska ranked second at 9.4 percent
• Third place was mixed between other destinations, including Mexico (8.8 percent), Europe (4.4 percent) and The Med (1.9 percent)
The Phones are Ringing
The survey asked agents to compare cruise bookings versus Q1 2009:
• 62.9 percent indicated that bookings increased slightly or significantly
• 17.6 percent of the agents polled indicated that bookings remained flat
• 19.5 percent indicated that bookings decreased slightly or significantly
When asked to compare cruise bookings versus the previous quarter, Q4 2009:
• 64.8 percent indicated that bookings increased slightly or significantly
• 19.5 percent of the agents polled indicated that bookings remained flat
• Only 15.8 percent indicated that bookings decreased slightly or significantly
Cruise Prices are Climbing
Agents were asked to compare cruise prices versus Q1 2009:
• 54.1 percent saw a slight or significant increase in cruise prices
• 21.4 percent responded that cruise prices decreased slightly or significantly
• The remaining 24.5 percent responded that cruise prices remained flat
Similarly, agents were polled on cruise prices versus the previous quarter, Q4 2009:
• 54.1 percent saw a slight or significant increase in cruise prices
• 30.2 percent responded that cruise prices remained flat
• The minority of agents, 15.7 percent, responded that cruise prices decreased slightly or significantly
Land Evolution is Working for Company Traditionally Focused on Cruising
At the end of 2009, CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. announced a formal expansion into land including all-inclusive resorts, escorted tours and destination resorts. Agents were asked how the official formation of a Preferred Land Supplier Network has impacted their land business (bookings) versus Q4 2009:
• While 30 percent of agents indicated that they have not yet participated in the new land program, 70 percent indicated that they have continued with positive land sales, with 33 percent of those noting a substantial increase in land bookings.
New Ships Continue to Generate Dollars
Given the buzz that has continued around the launch of new mega-ships by leading cruise lines, agents were polled to determine if this buzz is equating to increased bookings.
When asked to compare their bookings on Carnival’s Dream, NCL’s Epic and Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas versus Q4 2009:
• 32.3 percent indicated a slight or significant increase in bookings on these specific ships
• 57.2 percent indicated that bookings remained flat
• The remaining 10.5 percent indicated that bookings have decreased slightly
Has the Cruise Industry Rebounded from the Challenges of 2009?
Agents were asked for their overall opinion on the challenges of the past year and if they currently feel that the industry has bounced back:
• While only 2.5 percent indicated the economy has fully recovered from 2009, the majority (64.8 percent) indicated that they feel the economy has somewhat bounced back
• The remaining 23.9 percent indicated that in their opinion, the economy has not yet begun to recover.
CruiseOne, has nearly 600 independently owned cruise travel franchise locations and Cruises Inc., more than 550 agents nationwide. The companies are part of World Travel Holdings (WTH).
Visit www.CruiseOneFranchise.com and www.SellCruises.com.