FAM trips, which allow advisors to experience cruises and sell that experience to future clients, was on top of the list of advisor needs. The other top demand was commission on non-commissionable fares – known as NCFs – to travel advisors. While some cruise lines have started implementing a more favorable policy, advisors hope this would be applied across all cruise lines. Increase in commission would help them boost sales. Cruise lines that pay commission on NCFs are likely to be the ones that also gain the most agent support. Advisors also felt that the booking process could be smoother and that call center operations need to be made more efficient. One advisor said, CHART 18 | 29 TRENDS IN THE CRUISE SEGMENT SUPPLIER SUPPORT TO ENABLE HIGHER CRUISE SALES 75% 65% 57% 55% 51% 44% 39% 38% 37% 28% 25% 17% 16% 14% 12% Fam trip or personal cruise experience Commission on non-commissionable fees (NCF) Higher commissions/more profitable Improved call center operations Improved booking tools Clear communication on all policies Better supplier pricing Training programs (e.g., online, seminars, webinars) Stronger BDM support Effective co-operative marketing promotions Faster payment to advisor/agency Post/video/reels/influencers on various social media Better performance-linked bonus structure Dedicated articles and stories in media Shorter lead time to access inventory I’m more than a travel agent/owner. I need to know everything possible that is changing in the industry. Who is not paying commissions, who is not taking care of problems and answering your phone call. Being put on hold for hours at a time says that the supplier doesn’t care about me. They answer the consumer line quickly enough! If a supplier keeps me on hold and then hangs up on me, it seems that I am not valuable enough to them!