SUPPLIER SUPPORT TO ENABLE HIGHER RIVER CRUISE SALES
Some demands that the advisors made from the
supplier were better call center operations, including
operation hours that matched their own time zones.
Ease of navigation on the booking site and more
information on the travel policies have also been
a recurring demand.
Commission on NCFs were sporadic and optional
until a couple of years ago. However, major ocean
cruise lines such as Virgin Voyages, Viking and
Norwegian have done away with most NCFs
15
.
Payment on NCFs is now one of the major demands
of the advisor community.
Some advisors also pointed out that sales
representatives are proactive with the larger
agencies that are already doing well. With newer and
younger advisors joining the industry, more support
to independent contractors might be beneficial to
the suppliers, especially as the younger advisors are
also bringing in a new client demographic.
CHART 18
|
35
Fam trip or personal cruise experience
Training programs
Commission on non-commissionable fees (NCF)
Improved booking tools
Better supplier pricing
Higher commissions/ more profitable
Stronger BDM support
Clear communication on all policies
Effective co-operative marketing promotions
Improved call center operations
Expedited payment of commissions
Post/ video/ reels/ influencers on various social media
Dedicated articles and stories in media
More efficient group policies and procedures
Better performance-linked bonus structure
Faster payment reconciliation
Shorter lead time to access inventory
78%
44%
37%
35%
34%
31%
28%
27%
27%
26%
20%
18%
16%
14%
12%
11%
10%
TRENDS IN THE RIVER CRUISE SEGMENT
15 https://www.travelmarketreport.com/News/articles/Norwegian-Cruise-Line-Will-Soon-Pay-Commission-on-Most-NCFs
36
|
CHART 19
ADVISOR PROFILE
For the first time since 2021, there has been an
improvement, though marginal, in the retail travel
agency category (with or without a storefront) — it
was 39% last year and is now at 41%. The jury is
still out on whether this signals a turn in tide for
the retail agency or is an anomaly.
BUSINESS CLASSIFICATION, SHARE (%)
3%
22%
19%
56%
Retail travel agency with a storefront
location
Retail travel agency, non-storefront
location
Independent contractor working with
a host agency
IC/advisor working on your own