In his new column for Cruise Trade News, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines head of sales Geoff Ridgeon explains why it’s important to embrace change.

This year will be like no other for our industry. It is all geared up to be the season of the ‘new’ – new ships, itineraries, types of sailings, but perhaps most importantly, new beginnings. And it is what we all make of these new beginnings that will really count as we work towards the future.

The industry is well known for the loyalty shown by its guests. If you match a customer to a cruise brand well, it is very likely that they will continue to travel with that brand for many, many years. They could even become a customer for life, for both you as the agent and the cruise line.

But with this new beginning, we also have a fantastic opportunity to reach new customers. But, with so much out there, how do you know what is right for the customer?

Sometimes the simple things work

To help explain this, I would like to use an analogy that I am sure you can all relate to. You’re in the midst of a technological meltdown and nothing will function. You’ve tried every method under the sun, and you call someone at your IT department, who advises to turn it off and on again. That’s far too obvious, you think. That will never fix it. Yet, somehow, it often works.

The point I am trying to make is, with so much opportunity in cruise, don’t forget to start with the basics. Sit down with your customer and take the time to understand what it is they want from their cruise holiday.

Things really are different this year, so try to avoid those stereotypes of what you think will work best without doing a little bit of discovery. Are they after scenic sailings? Do they want to get off and venture ashore? Do they want to take the kids or the grandkids, or are they looking for a child-free experience?

New ships are always a draw – people love the idea of being the first to try something, and never is that truer than within the cruise community. We have so many new ships making their debuts this year. We at Fred Olsen are welcoming our new sisters Bolette and Borealis into the fleet, P&O Cruises is welcoming Iona, MSC Cruises has MSC Virtuosa – the list goes on.

As we look ahead to the future, we must not let change be a barrier. Let’s embrace all that is new for our industry and all the excitement that brings.