Several industry reports point towards the emerging popularity of the luxury cruise segment. Even
though the business outlook looks upbeat, and a bunch of new travel advisors have entered the travel
business in recent years, there is a lot that suppliers need in order to tap into the potential of the expe-
rienced as well as new advisors.
As this outlook reveals, travel advisors are able and willing to sell or even upsell luxury cruise vacations.
However, they do feel the need for more efficient interactions with the cruise lines during the booking
process. They also feel the need for more training, specifically familiarization trips and specialization trainings.
The respondents of this survey have also relayed many of the oft-repeated concerns of travelers that
act as hurdles for booking luxury cruises. It is imperative for the suppliers in particular and the travel
industry as a whole to come together to resolve those issues. The chief amongst them was the inability
to get the right information through call centers due to untrained staff and frustratingly long wait periods.
There’s no predicting for sure when and how the world will resume traveling without concerns like COVID
testing, vaccine, and mask mandates again. Until then, the advisors would continue to have this added
layer of scrutiny in their already long list of services. Suppliers also need to make some improvements in
their communication with advisors and clients to enable clarity in this regard among all concerned parties.
We hope this outlook will act as the voice of the travel advisor, influencing the industry decision makers
to bring about the necessary changes in the processes. With travel becoming more complicated and
travelers having higher aspirations, the travel advisors would continue to play an even bigger role in
the industry over the next few years. They have, after all, emerged like survivors from the rubble of the
global pandemic.
CONCLUSION