It is “impossible” to futureproof the travel industry, but there are steps cruise lines can take to protect consumer confidence, a panel of experts has said

Speaking during Cruise Trade News’ inaugural Retreat in Hampshire, Advantage Travel Partnership director of cruise, Jonny Peat, said global uncertainty is both inevitable and unpredicatble, meaning cruise lines, airlines, hotel groups and tourism boards are unable to futureproof their businesses.

However, he urged cruise line delegates to be proactive in their messaging to agents so they are well-informed and knowledgable when addressing client questions.

“It isn’t possible to futureproof travel,” he said. “Lines need to react as quickly and calmly as possible to any global unrest and they have got to get messaging out quickly to agents to reassure them they have the situation in hand.”

Head of travel sales at Travelzoo, Sam Conway, added: “Lines definitely need to dial up communication, that’s how brands can maintain trust with their customers. Communication is key.”

Geoff Ridgeon, head of sales for Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, agreed with Peat, and praised the cruise industry’s ability to react to world conflict quickly and efficiently.

However, he warned of making snap decisions on changing itineraries, claiming that making alterations quickly can undermine consumer confidence.

“We can’t plan for world events, but this isn’t our first rodeo,” he said. “As an industry, we are great at being able to adapt, move and change our plans when we need to, unlike land-based options which have less adaptability.

“We just need to avoid being knee-jerk about changing too much. We must be calm, assess a situation and, if we determine it is serious, make changes, otherwise we risk undermining confidence in our brands.

“It is important to give customers confidence that what they book is what they will get while also being adaptable to a changing landscape. There is a balance of sentiment versus actuality. We need to see what the data is saying before we make changes as there is always an immediate reaction when news breaks, but then people forget or move on and it stabilises.”

Marella Cruises’ head of customer experience – cruise, Lucy Lynam, highlighted the importance of providing a diverse range of options for customers to ensure that, if conflict breaks out in one part of the world, there will be alternative options unaffected.

“Long term, we can never futureproof the industry, but we can be resilient and offer a range of itineraries to make sure our portfolio is wide enough to provide diversity, so if anything does happen in one part of the world, we have options to move customers elsewhere,” she said.