Wednesday, 28 February 2018

Content is Key to Selling Cruises



The growing popularity of cruising worldwide has made selling Cruises an important part of any leisure travel business plan. The Cruise industry has been one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel industry and there are still opportunities to take advantage of this growth with cruise booking solutions that can help you maximize the profits selling cruises can bring.

It seems like year after year the cruise lines launch newer, larger ships as they try to set their brand apart from the competition with different ship features and onboard services. Some have added waterslides that cascade down several decks into a pool creating a waterpark atmosphere. Specialty restaurants offering exotic cuisine and cocktails made by a professional mixologist and served on a bar made of solid Ice can be found on others. There are even ships with a place to take a walk and spread your toes out on an actual live grass lawn while in the middle of the ocean. There are so many different ships and options available that finding the right fit can be a bit overwhelming for many.

An experienced travel agent can play an important role in matching a cruise passenger with the right cruise ship or itinerary and the growing popularity of cruising worldwide has made the selling of Cruises a central role in leisure travel. Whether your agency sells the Air & Sea cruise packages offered by the cruise lines or a complete cruise vacation that has been bundled by a tour operator or individual travel agent, the way that cruise vacations are researched and booked continues to change as technology evolves. To be successful, you'll need to take advantage of the powerful cruise booking solutions available today.

The best cruise booking engines provide users with live connectivity with cruise lines for the latest availability and pricing to ensure the most up to date information is provided. Depending upon your business, you may need the capability to access cruise groups and special fares like Military or Senior rates. Having the right content available at the right price for your client's specific needs can be critical to your success. The different content sources available are NOT equal and can vary dramatically when it comes to speed and functionality, so content source is an important area to focus on when evaluating cruise booking solutions.

You'll also want to consider a cruise booking engine that includes detailed ship and cabin information connected to media rich content to assist both travel agents and customers shopping for a cruise. After all, if a picture is worth a thousand words … pictures of a sample cabin can give a far better idea than a few words. This content should be integrated into the shopping and booking process and include links to important information such as individual ship deck plans and photo galleries to give the user a better idea of what the ship has to offer.

Choosing a cruise booking solution with the right combination of options for your travel business can be a critical decision. Finding a technology partner that will help provide you with the right content to sell cruises can be just as important.

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