2020
MORE THAN 700 TRAVEL ADVISORS
LOCATED IN NORTH AMERICA RESPONDED
TO THIS SURVEY.
Seventy-four percent (74%)
of respondents were advisors, and 26% were
owners/managers.
OVER ONE IN FOUR ADVISORS HAVE BEEN
IN THE BUSINESS FOR MORE THAN 30
YEARS.
Experience shines in this segment as
one out of every two advisors has been selling
for over 20 years.
FIFTY-SEVEN PERCENT (57%) OF ADVISORS
FEEL PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
is the most
effective marketing tool for selling Polar Cruises.
COST OF THE TRIP IS THE BIGGEST
CHALLENGE THAT 76% OF ADVISORS CITED
WHEN SELLING POLAR REGIONS.
Lack of
destination specialization is also an obstacle
with one out of four advisors not having enough
product knowledge and sales experience.
FORTY-TWO PERCENT (42%) OF ADVISORS
SAID THEY SAW SOME LEVEL OF INCREASE
IN SALES TO POLAR DESTINATIONS IN 2019.
The future looks remarkably optimistic with
61% predicting an increase in sales to these
destinations this year.
A LARGE CHUNK OF THE CLIENTS WHO
TRAVEL TO POLAR REGIONS ARE BETWEEN
AGES 55-64, FOLLOWED BY 26% BETWEEN
THE AGES 45-55, THE EMPTY NESTER
SEGMENT OF THE TRAVELING PUBLIC.
There
is a compact market of 10% in the age group of
18-34, which has the capacity to grow further.
The overarching theme for Polar is nature and
adventure. E
IGHTY-FIVE PERCENT (85%)
OF RESPONDENTS VOTED WILDLIFE AS
THE BIGGEST DRAW FOR THEIR CLIENTS,
FOLLOWED BY PHOTOGRAPHY AT 74%.
BUT 68% OF ADVISORS DID NOT TAKE ANY
TRAINING IN SELLING POLAR TRAVEL IN
THE LAST YEAR,
indicating plenty of untapped
opportunity for cruise companies
and destinations.
WHEN IT COMES TO POLAR CRUISING,
IT’S CLEAR THAT EXPERIENCES AND THE
REPUTATION OF THE CRUISE LINE SCORED
HIGH AT 71% OF THE ADVISORS.
The age
of the ship and dining options didn’t matter as
much to clients.
What would really motivate the advisors
to sell more cruises are
FAMILIARIZATION
TRIPS (79%) AND TRAINING (53%). HIGHER
COMMISSIONS CAME IN AT SIXTH
POSITION (32%).
SEVENTY-FOUR PERCENT (74%) OF
ADVISORS’ CLIENTS COME IN EITHER WITH
POLAR ON THEIR MIND
or asking for new
destinations and experiences for travel.
KEY
FINDINGS
4