by Robin Amster
Last updated: 6:13 PM ET, Mon August 14, 2017
Luxury travel sales are on the rise despite the fact there are still DIY travelers and "last-minute penny pinchers," according to Cruise Planners.
An American Express representative and home-based travel agent franchise network, Cruise Planners reported that sales for luxury travel is up 35 percent within its network this year compared to the entire year during 2016.
It announced the findings at its recent inaugural Luxury Travel Forum in Fort Lauderdale. The luxury-dedicated event was held as a response to an increase in travelers booking luxury vacations through its travel advisors.
"Luxury travel continues to grow," said Michelle Fee, Cruise Planners' CEO and co-founder. "Luxury travel is the whole package, starting with the personalized service a travel professional offers from the very start to the high-end, attentive experience a passenger has throughout their land or sea travels."
The following travel trends, travel agent first-hand tips and Cruise Planners tools were discussed at the event:
Best Practices from Top Producers
A consistent trend throughout the event was for agents to get involved in the luxury community, invest in themselves, experience luxury brands first-hand and offer personalized service.
Overall, there is a business opportunity for travel professionals to service clients and be the expert for higher-end customers. The market demands a genuine and customized approach.
Cruise Planners' New Luxury E-newsletter
Cruise Planners launched a luxury-specific e-newsletter designed to address higher-end travelers by focusing on destinations and travel brand value instead of pricing.
The new tactic has generated hundreds of new luxury vacations in the short time it has been deployed, according to Cruise Planners.
Insightful Demographic Data
Cruise Planners travel professionals now have new big data technology that allows them to track insightful demographic information about their clients. This has propelled additional luxury bookings since the data arms agents with more targeted information to help close high-end sales.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Travel Trends 2017: Cruise Planners Forecasts the Future[/READMORE]
Confidence to Close the Sale
Tips at the conference included how to close luxury clients including, "do not sell with your own wallet" and "don't be afraid to ask for the sale."
Keynote speaker, Frank J. Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. encouraged travel professionals to book higher-end travel because of the dividends.
"You can sell one luxury cruise and make the same commission as you would selling ten mass market cruises at ten times the work," he said.
He also stressed the perceived value with luxury travel that the travel professional can uncover-especially with more inclusive amenities based on what each guest views as luxurious.
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