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CLIA's Cruise Night Expected to Generate Record Sales
Published on: November 2, 2007
The Cruise Lines International Association said its Oct. 17 World's Largest Cruise Night (WLCN) is expected to generate 17,852 bookings, which translate into an estimated $22.3 million in sales and more than $3 million in travel agency commissions. These estimates represent a 20 percent increase in bookings, sales and commissions over the 2006 event. According to CLIA's survey of all agents and agencies that registered to conduct an event, over 90 percent followed through, up from 86 percent in 2006. More than 45,000 consumers attended an event sponsored by 900-plus travel agencies across North America, a 28 percent increase in attendance with a 27 percent increase in participating agencies from 2006 levels.
All of Liberty Travel's 200-plus storefront locations conducted a WLCN event and reported more than 1,000 cruise bookings in one day. "World's Largest Cruise Night was an incredible success for Liberty Travel," said Makis Xenatos, vice president of cruise and tour operator marketing for LibGo Travel, the umbrella company of Liberty Travel. "All of our stores from Florida to New Hampshire did phenomenal."
For the first time, CLIA offered agents an online option, Virtual WLCN. More than 3,000 agencies participated in the Virtual WLCN, sending email invitations to consumers to visit a customized website with cruise line videos, agency contact information and special offers. Virtual WLCN was available online Oct. 15-31, and it is estimated that consumers viewed cruise line videos more than 50,000 times. Agents surveyed project 16,802 bookings and $21 million in sales as a result of their two weeks of Virtual WLCN participation. Nearly 200 agencies not only chose the Virtual WLCN option but conducted a live event on Oct. 17 as well.
Combined, CLIA's 2007 WLCN events and virtual option are estimated by the nearly 4,000 participating agents and agencies to generate as many as 34,654 bookings, $43.3 million in sales and over $5.8 million in travel agency commissions. "Since WLCN was launched by CLIA in 2005, it has grown tremendously as participating CLIA member travel agencies recognized its value and responded to increasingly strong consumer interest in cruising," said Terry Dale, CLIA's president and CEO. "We are thrilled that the 2007 WLCN event shows a marked increase over the 2006 results and that our all-new Virtual WLCN option garnered so much support from our CLIA member agencies. We're also grateful that our cruise line members continue to provide our agencies with special offers, support and promotions specifically for WLCN."
In 2006, WLCN drew 35,000 consumers to 700-plus travel agency events that generated an estimated 14,860 bookings, $18.5 million in cruise sales and $2.4 million in travel agency commissions. In its first year in 2005, WLCN attracted 25,000 consumers to 400-plus agency events, generating an estimated 7,273 bookings, $9 million in cruise sales and $1.2 million in travel agency commissions. For more information, visit www.cruising.org.
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