Not only has Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) released a study about what to expect from the industry moving into 2017, the organization has also shared what travel agents are seeing as 2016 draws to a close.
As part of its fourth quarter Travel Agent Cruise Industry Outlook Report of 2016, CLIA has gathered some key insights: namely strong sales, spending growth and advance cruise reservations.
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"The Travel Agent Cruise Industry Outlook report allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of the cruise industry as a whole and provides a glimpse into the future from the travel agents perspective," said Cindy D'Aoust, president and CEO, CLIA. "Findings from latest report help both travel agents and industry stakeholders adapt to meet the needs of today's travelers and has become a staple in our research calendar."
Cruise Growth
The numbers do not lie. Travel professionals are seeing increased cruise sales over the previous year, and more that 75 percent of them expect the rise to continue overall. River cruising is specifically growing with 67 percent of agents reporting growth in the segment, and interest in larger ships is also peaking, as 62 percent say they've seen an uptick. What will be interesting to keep an eye on is how a current trend towards building smaller ships as well as bigger ones affects sales figures.
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Increased Sales & Spending
Also, versus earlier this year, are more robust winter cruise sales, and 80 percent of agencies anticipate better numbers this season than last year's. Also, cruise spending is up according to just shy of 75 percent of professionals. Plus, 22 percent anticipate a 10 percent or more growth, another 22 percent predict a 6 to 10 percent increase and 30 percent expect 5 percent growth.
Advance Travel Booking
The future horizon is even brighter as travel agents indicate that customers are reserving cruises more and more ahead of time, stemming a "last minute deal" purchase philosophy. Of those polled, 43 percent are witnessing more bookings made 9 to 12 months in advance, and 37 percent are seeing them placed 12 to 18 months before. In fact, 20 percent are reporting a decline in reservations made under 3 months in advance.
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