Crystal Cruises' top executives expressed optimism amid booming sales as they opened the luxury line's 28th annual travel agent gala on the Crystal Serenity.
The annual event brings together Crystal's top sellers to celebrate their success and hear news about the company. This year, 56 agents qualified for the gala by reaching the $1 million sales threshold.
President and CEO Tom Wolber noted that the goal shared at last year's gala was to stabilize the business after Crystal added yachts, river cruises, luxury jets and a new reservations system in just a few years.
In 2019, however, revenue across all segments has already exceeded the total for 2018 at barely halfway through the year. Sales are up an average of 11.4 percent for all segments-including 31.4 percent for the Crystal Esprit yacht, which also attracts a younger, new-to-Crystal clientele.
Wolber said Crystal vows to be "a pleasure to do business with" and now releases itineraries three years in advance. That has helped boost the volume of business booked at least two years out, even as closer-in bookings continue to increase.
The company also revealed a new brand campaign with the tagline "Where Luxury Is Personal." New ads feature crew members and Crystal Society loyalty program members.
Carmen Roig, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, said the newer river and yacht cruise segments are successful in attracting new clientele. For example, 58 percent of new-to-Crystal clients came via the river cruise segment while 66 percent first tried the yacht.
Crystal also announced that it is eliminating all plastic straws from its fleet, effective June 8, which is World Oceans Day. Paper straws will be available instead.
In addition, the company recently announced a partnership with ORCA-a leading conservation organization dedicated to the protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises-which will bring Cruise Conservationists aboard select Alaska voyages for training, research and data collection as part of its OceanWatch program.
Crystal also is highly anticipating the launch of its 200-passenger luxury expedition ship, Crystal Endeavour, in August 2020. Wolber announced that the company has hired noted explorer David Sinclair as an expedition leader for the ship.
Sinclair has spent more than two decades traversing all seven continents and is an expert in the polar regions. He will be involved in the planning and development of the vessel's shoreside excursions, as well as leading a team of skilled expedition guides and experts. Among Sinclair's many adventures, he climbed the highest peaks north of the Arctic Circle and skied across Greenland, Wolber said.
Crystal Endeavor will sail from the Arctic via the fabled Northeast Passage to the Ross Sea in Antarctica, and to many regions few travelers explore, including New Zealand's Sub-Antarctic Islands; the Russian Far East and Japan; New Zealand, Tasmania and the Great Barrier Reef; Borneo, Philippines and Indonesia; Aleutian Islands and Alaska; Western Europe and Canary Islands; and South America.
The 20,000-ton Crystal Endeavor is currently under construction at MV Werften shipyard in Stralsund, Germany.
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