Why not be upwardly mobile? CruiseMole Comment by Stephen Park, general manager NCL UK

It’s a challenging world for the high street travel agent.  

With the consumer becoming ever more confident at booking travel independently and travel companies increasingly pushing the direct sell route, competition to secure holiday bookings is fiercer than ever before. 

At NCL agent bookings are our lifeblood and we aim to reward agent loyalty.   But we also want to ensure that the travel trade are truly aware of the opportunities out there for them in the cruise sector.  

This year will be the biggest year ever for cruise within Europe, and with cruising predicted to grow by 61% over the next five years; this is one area of the travel industry where I believe business will only get stronger despite the credit crunch.

Cruises still offer high levels of commission in contrast to other areas where those commission percentage points progressively get eaten away.  And comparatively speaking cruise is a high value purchase. 

My advice to agents committed to cruise is not just keep selling, but think very seriously about the ‘selling up’ trading opportunities available.  

Apart from higher grade staterooms on-board, there are many ways agents can think about adding value such as upgrades on flights, pre or post accommodation – they’re all good for boosting commissions.  

NCL’s latest promotion ‘Move on Up – Stateroom Giveaway’ gives agents the chance to earn more commission by automatically upgrading their clients to the highest grade stateroom available within the category they book (ie Inside, Oceanview, Oceanview with Balcony, Suites and Villas).

If you know your clients will spend a lot of time on-board and in their cabin,  then they’ll probably be open to the idea of upgrading their accommodation.   What’s more we know from our own experience that once customers have moved up a grade, they’re unlikely to ever move down again.

The range of cabin grades available is extensive both on NCL and other lines. 

NCL’s suites feature a concierge service, flat screen TV’s and DVD player, while our villas all feature butler service, PC and printer, DVD and CD library as well as Champagne on ice, fine liquor and gourmet hors d’oeuvres on embarkation.   

We may be facing an economic downturn during 2008, but rest assured the affluent won’t deny themselves a holiday – and they’ll still want to do things in style. 

So why not increase your focus on the top end of the market this year? It could be one way to widen your customer base, as well as securing those well earned commissions.