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New wave of changes for Azamara
Azamara Club Cruises boss Larry Pimentel has pledged to make a series of further changes to the premium line’s brand that will be announced later this year.
Speaking to Travelmole at the 2010 UK Cruise Convention in Southampton, the line’s president and chief executive said there would be further “significant†refinements to the guest experience on its ships.
The move follows Azamara’s decision to make its product more inclusive with items such as gratuities and drinks now included within the overall cruise price, and to enable its ships stay longer in selected ports.
“In 2011 and beyond, 60% of our itineraries have either late night stays, overnight stays or multiple days in ports,†he said.
“We are also reducing our Caribbean presence and introducing new areas for 2011 and 2012, such as South America, Antarctica and the Amazon.â€
In a conference session on upselling to the luxury cruise market, Pimentel urged agents to be more proactive and sell more on value than price.
“If you win customers on the basis of low prices, you will lose them that way,†he warned delegates.
“A cheap vacation can be an expensive mistake.â€
He advised retailers to research the luxury cruise market so they could get the message across of what it offered and the value it represented.
“If you articulate it well, customers will want to buy it from you,†he added.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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