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Travelmole guest comment: riding the wave of the 21st century cruise market
Monday, 08 Apr, 2011
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Cruisebite.com managing director David McMaster warns that with an increase in cruise holidaymakers comes the responsibility to match the product properly to the customer
It’s an interesting time for the cruise industry. Because it’s grown so quickly, it’s been able to generate a lot of cash that has then been ploughed back into upgrading the product. The result? More (modern) ships offering more experiences and services on more routes. And more choice for the consumer.
Surely a good thing? Well, not always. Proportionate to the growth in those taking a cruise holiday is the number of complaints from travellers who feel they were sold the wrong product. This is unarguably a sensitive subject – we could all be inclined to duck and say nothing or, worse still, start pointing fingers which is a shame because this issue needs a good airing.
When faced with a significant purchase decision, such as choosing a cruise holiday for the first time, consumers need lots of help and advice. And therein lies the problem. Because unless they go to a travel agency that specialises in cruise holidays, they risk not receiving all the information they need to make the best decision, ie the one that gives them the most satisfaction or the best experience.
David McMaster
The traditional source of this information, travel agents, are caught between decreasing margins (so less money available to invest in product training) and increasing pressure to make more sales. Not surprisingly, corners sometimes get cut. Even the specialist travel agency can’t be expected to have in-depth knowledge about every variation of a cruise holiday.
Instead, more and more first time cruisers are turning to alternative sources of information to help them, such as other holiday makers or friends. They’re using the internet and specifically social media (along with cruise community sites such as CruiseBite.com).
As the average age of cruisers drops, so we can expect this trend to continue. The Facebook generation don’t use insurance brokers, they use price comparison sites. They’re less likely to use a traditional estate agent to buy their house or a car dealer to buy their car. These are all traditional ‘intermediaries’ that are now losing out to the internet.
Don’t get me wrong. Travel agencies have still got much to offer the cruise holiday maker. But the industry must recognise that times are changing, and cruise lines would be foolish to just rely on sales from agents.
If, for argument’s sake, customer dissatisfaction levels ran at 5%, then it didn’t matter too much when only 5,000 took a cruise holiday. Trouble is, 50,000 now take a holiday, which means that 2,500 are not happy with the holiday and the advice offered when choosing it. And now they’re voicing that dissatisfaction online too.
Travel agents should see these dissenters not as a source of irritation or cost, but as a source of valuable feedback that can help them learn and adapt to the new world.
Some things don’t change though. A high level of customer satisfaction and a high level of returning customers will always be the sign of a good business.
Dinah
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