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Eurovision partnership ‘will help agents attract new clients’, says Royal’s UK boss

Cruise secrets: Ben Bouldin, Royal Caribbean, Eurovision

Royal Caribbean’s two-year partnership with the Eurovision Song Contest will help the line – and its trade partners – attract a new strain of customers, according to the line’s vice president EMEA.

Speaking to Cruise Trade News, Ben Bouldin said there will also be opportunities for agents to win Eurovision-inspired prizes as part of the new partnership, which will see Royal sponsor the European singing contests in 2024 and 2025.

“There’s going to be lots of exciting details coming down the line, including themed sailings and entertainment options, as well as the opportunity for agents to win VIP experiences,” he said. “Eurovision plays, and is hugely popular, across my region, so whether it’s the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Israel – it’s an incredibly popular show.”

He continued: “The audience that Eurovision has is so significant, so it will help broaden our visibility and it is really popular with our guests, and those who are not yet our customers. I’m sure it will be immensely popular amongst the travel agency community.”

Eurovision partnership comes ahead of Icon of the Seas launch

The agreement comes ahead of a significant year for Royal, with Icon of the Seas – the first vessel in the line’s new Icon-class – due to launch at the end of January. “It’s a composite of all the favourites of every class of ship we’ve ever produced, and it’s really quite special,” Bouldin explained.

In a change of tactic in the build up to the launch of Icon, Royal has “strategically” posted updates about the new vessel periodically, as opposed to its normal process of keeping information under wraps until the launch.

“We usually say very little about our ships until we actually reveal it on the launch, but with Icon we’ve done it quite differently,” he said. “We have strategically posted periodically, sort of every month or every two months, right from the initial announcement to now, a few weeks from launch.”

Crucial to the success of agents, Bouldin explain, is the line’s trade partners. “We’re taking a select few [agents] onboard during the launch events on the 20 and 23 January, and given the ship is in the Caribbean, it has been quite heavily dominated by the US market on this occasion. But we will be looking for opportunities to take other agents out to experience Icon through the course of the year.”

Royal’s trade team ‘at full resource’ for first time in three years

To ensure the trade is supported during the launch of the new vessel, Bouldin said Royal has a “fully resourced trade team” for the first time in three years. He said the line’s trade sales team is gearing up to “get out and about” visiting “as many agents as possible” in 2024, as the company looks to capitalise on a positive start to the year.

“We’ve got a new training manager, who started last year, and he’s got a very comprehensive plan, so we’re really touching hearts and minds up and down the country,” Bouldin continued. “And of course, through our Club Royal platform, we will continue to offer agents fantastic cash and money can’t buy prizes.”

However, towards the end of 2023, Royal announced UK director of sales Stuart Byron would be stepping down from his role. The UK team has since been reporting into head of sales admin and trade marketing Nikki Lewis, and will do until the end of March.

“The Spanish market will report to me as will the Irish market, so between us we’re covering the ground and we’re both really enjoying getting back in front of agents because that is exactly where I started at Royal and, frankly, I love it,” Bouldin said.

The line is currently in the process of interviewing for a replacement for Byron, with Bouldin expecting an update by the end of January.

Bouldin warns of ‘ongoing headwinds’ in 2024

Despite his positive outlook for the cruise industry in 2024, Bouldin, who is also CLIA chair, is acutely aware of the economic, financial and political headwinds the industry will face in 2024.

“I think there will be a general election this year, Rishi Sunak nodded to the fact there could be one in the second half of the year,” he said. “I don’t think it will have a material impact on demand for holidays, but I think it will be disruptive to our dialogue and ongoing engagement with the government about our sustainability agenda and other important topics.

“From a Royal Caribbean perspective, I don’t expect those things to have a material impact on our ability to find the right guests. I would like to see the Russia-Ukraine situation come to an end amicably as soon as possible and naturally, I would like to see the Israeli conflict come to an end as soon as possible.”

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