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Cruise.Compete: unique service?
President Bob Levinstein says his company, Cruise.Compete.com, offers a unique service for cruisers, primarily those with experience.
“Our customers select a ship and sailing date, put in information such as how many passengers, then they get back multiple price quotes – typically anywhere from two to seven,” he said.
Travel agents compete to offer the lowest prices on cruises. Cruisers are notified by e-mail when a new quote is displayed. For people who need help, Cruise.Compete matches them with an agent. Agents pay a percentage of the revenue they earn on each cabin they book.
“When cruisers are ready to book, our users always have the option to talk to a live agent and book over the phone – just as they do on 99% of the travel sites out there,” said Mr Levinstein.
Cruise.Compete is a free service that essentially connects cruise travelers to multiple travel agencies through a single Web site.
Mr Levinstein said the company is an independent organization that provides agents with a steady stream of easy-to-manage, qualified leads.
Mr Levinstein acknowledges that while agents still do the vast bulk of cruise bookings, that percentage is steadily dwindling.
“It’s going to take years for that process (more online bookings) to happen, however,” he said. “But whatever happens, there will always be people who want others to do the work for them.”
He suggests, however, that the most successful cruise-booking agents in the future will be those who do high volumes of business.
Report by David Wilkening
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