Harmer: “Cruise travel agent landscape is evolving”
Following Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) Destination Showcase in Gibraltar last week, Cruise Trade News caught up with managing director UK & Ireland Andy Harmer who revealed that the association has seen an increase in the number of land-based travel agents engaging with the association
Last week saw around 50 travel agents jet off to the sunny Iberian Peninsula for CLIA’s second Destination Showcase in Gibraltar. It was also an opportunity for delegates to visit Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam and Azamara Quest – two ships that rarely visit the UK – with business sessions and networking events hosted across both over the course of the three-day event.
Following the showcase, which was held in partnership with Visit Gibraltar, Cruise Trade News spoke to Andy Harmer about the benefits of hosting intimate overseas events for the trade, where he revealed the number of new-to-cruise selling agents engaging with CLIA has increased.
“It has changed and evolved,” he said when asked about the travel agent landscape. “Over the last 18 months we’ve begun working with people who are focused on luxury holidays who never included cruise in that bracket, but they now want to.
“Agents who sell long-haul, adventure-themed land-based holidays now want to suggest cruise to their customers, so they need the resources and support we offer. That means we’re working with a much broader travel agent community.”
Does this suggest that cruise lines’ efforts to attract the new-to-cruise market is working?
“It’s an ongoing mission, we know that once somebody chooses to cruise, they will very likely cruise again and that’s how our industry continues to grow and develop. The industry is focused on what holidaymakers want and we know they want to do things they don’t do in their ordinary life.
“Lines have been very good at developing ships, products and itineraries that appeal to different types of people, ensuring the product has kept pace and even kept ahead of land-based holidays.”
“Line also do a great job of talking about cruise. For example, partnerships between the Eurovision Song Contest and Royal Caribbean and Bafta and P&O Cruises all entice an interesting kind of audience.
“All in all, the industry does a good job of talking about cruise in places we haven’t done before and hopefully that brings in a new type of customer.”
How do events like CLIA’s Destination Showcase ensure agents and lines talk about cruise in the right way?
“One of the great things about social media is it provides the opportunity to showcase experiences and places you wouldn’t ordinarily be exposed to.
“A lot of customers who haven’t stepped foot on a cruise ship before aren’t aware of the broad types of experiences and opportunities that a cruise holiday offers. Being able to share pictures of our time in Gibraltar raises the profile of the destination, but to then say that this is all part of a cruise and this is just one port of call is part of talking about cruise in a different way.”
You said that travellers increasingly want to pack their holidays with experiences. Is this something that’s come up in your research?
“CLIA did some research in July where we asked travellers why they choose to cruise. For the UK respondents, they said it was having the chance to visit multiple destinations on one holiday. Talking about the places we visit is a really important way of getting those people to try a cruise for the first time.”
What were some of the highlights of this year’s Destination Showcase?
“The majority of people who went had never been to Gibraltar before, so it was great to see the destination for the first time. We were all pleasantly surprised by how interesting and exciting it was.
“The moment that stands out most is when we had a private dinner in St Michael’s Cave. I was sat next to Gibraltar’s minister of tourism and he’d created a choir who performed on the evening. Our travel agent partners told us it was one of the most memorable parts of the trip.”
How do you reflect on Gibraltar as a cruise destination?
It’s a really great place for cruise ships to go because it’s got a real mix of shopping and people watching in cafés, and there’s some really interesting history, too. It has a military background and there’s incredible views from the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. It’s that diversity of offering that makes it a really interesting place for cruise ships.”
Did any interesting cruise trends emerge from the content sessions?
“One thing that came out is that close-to-home cruising is doing really well in the UK. Gibraltar fits into that category. Air lift is straightforward, but there are also lots of cruise ships that come through here on their journey to the Mediterranean or Atlantic Islands.
“The other trend is that long-haul cruising seems to be doing very well, particularly in Asia. It was one of the last areas to come out of covid and the return to Asia has been slightly slower, but the trends are showing that more ships are heading there.”
