United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Cruise bookers want agent help
Carnival Cruise Lines’ shift away from direct sales to agents is in keeping with what newcomer senior vice president and sales and guest services Lynn Torrent has found: the “overwhelming†number or bookers prefer to work with travel agents.
“Our customers tell us loud and clear they want to book through agents, and we are very happy to help them do that,” Torrent told Travel Trade.
She said that Carnival’s consumer marketing programs aim to “help them understand our product and drive them to travel agents.†She added:
“I think agents like that because it drives business to them. The better job we do with our brand, the better job they’ll do.”
She does not see any radical changes in the way cruise lines compensate agents going forward but noted that the industry does change with the market.
“The US market is the largest in sheer numbers. In a nutshell, all our markets are growing. We have additional capacity and we fill our ships.”
Carnival is increasing its capacity in the Caribbean for 2009, said Torrent, in response to strong sales and the line is diversifying Caribbean home ports to appeal to its growing drive-up and family vacation markets.
Report by David Wilkening
David
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel
Foreign Office issues travel advisory for winter sun destinations