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Seabourn MD Lynn Narraway: ‘We value the vital role agents play in our success’

Seabourn: Lynn Narraway interview

We catch up with Seabourn UK and Ireland managing director, Lynn Narraway, to discuss how the luxury cruise line is working with agents to support them during these unprecedented times and how the cruise industry will bounce back.

1. How is Seabourn supporting agents at this time?

All of us at Seabourn understand and value the vital role travel partners play in the success of the cruise industry. We’re working closely with our agent partners with policies to try to help them (and Seabourn) retain future business, for instance by offering generous 125 per cent future cruise credits for guests who’ve sadly had to cancel holidays. We’re also protecting 100 per cent base commission for paid in full bookings on these cancelled voyages. Commission is critical to our agents’ businesses and we have therefore recently extended a special four per cent bonus commission as a special thank you for their support during these times. This support is another way to show how dedicated we are to helping partners’ long-term planning for the coming year. We are also focusing on sailings in 2021 and 2022 to help partners get back to business in the future as well as providing online marketing collateral.

2. How do your agent partners feel about the future?

The travel industry has always been resilient to many past challenges and our partners have been amazingly supportive. Most of our agent partners are busy working with their existing clients to try to help them through the process of planning their next holiday or helping them arrange a 100 per cent refund of their cruise, if they choose that option. We are talking with these partners on a daily basis to try to work with them on individual scenarios that will help our loyal Seabourn guests. During this pause in our business, we have continued to assess the environment to determine when we can resume operations. While we’re beginning to see some positive signs, the point at which we can begin sailing remains uncertain. As such, we have decided to extend our pause of service into later this year.

3. What will be the new norms of cruising? What new measures is Seabourn working on?

Seabourn ships already offer very generous space per guest, both in our public areas and in our suites, the vast majority of which have large private verandas. In our continued support of public health efforts, any return to service will also include whatever enhanced operational protocols and social gathering guidelines are in place at the time of the resumption of cruise operations. When the industry resumes, it will do so with the health and safety of our guests, crew and the people in each of the destinations we visit as a priority, just as it has been throughout our history.

4. How will the industry regain confidence from customers?

We all need leisure time with our family and friends and so we remain optimistic about the long-term desire for travel, and we know that feedback from our guests suggests that they are looking forward to returning to cruise in the future.

5. How can lines and the wider industry fight back against the negative national press coverage of late?

We’ve already seen that much of the more recent media coverage has been positive towards our industry, with many of our valued cruise media writing their ‘love letters to cruise’ and posting videos on social media.  We need to take advantage of these opportunities and showcase the incredible variety of experiences and destinations that are best visited on a cruise holiday.

6. How will the industry continue to attract new to cruise?

I’ve always maintained that we need to change the language of cruise in order to attract new guests. Seabourn is (and has always been) all about ocean-front suites and a private club atmosphere (really an ultra-luxurious hotel, that just happens to be at sea). However, it is now even more important that we focus on the unique experiences and destinations we offer, our partnerships with world-class chefs and cultural organisations such as UNESCO; and our ability to access ‘bucket list’ destinations from idyllic tropical islands to the wilds of Antarctica, in order to attract new to cruise guests.

7. What will be the financial impact on the cruise industry?

Seabourn’s parent company, Carnival Corporation, is the world’s largest leisure travel company, with a fleet of more than 100 ships visiting over 700 ports around the world. Times are challenging but I believe that travel is in our DNA, and so I remain positive.

8. What are bookings looking like for 2021?

We are beginning to see positive signs for 2021 with guests rebooking for next year and for 2022.

9. Why do you believe the cruise industry will survive the pandemic?

We’re one of the few industries where many companies collaborate together within CLIA, and our strength lies in our strong relationships and our partnerships with agents. Travel and holidays have become an almost essential part of modern-day life, and while we currently pause and stay at home, most of us are dreaming of destinations we will visit in the future.

10. How long do you think the recovery will take?

Seabourn has voluntarily paused operations until October/November on all our five ships. Our optimism and insight say business will grow and bookings will return once again in the future.

Visit seabourn.com for more information.

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