With the autumn Budget just around the corner, it would not have been inconceivable that some agents or suppliers may have had concerns about how well insulated the sector is from the economic headwinds that continue to hamper consumer confidence.

But those delegates would have been overjoyed to hear several high-profile figures give glowing accounts of how resilient the industry is – and how despite continuing cost-of-living pressures, cruise’s customer base is growing.

Delegates also heard how regular cruisers and brand partnerships may hold the key to attracting new-to-cruise passengers, the latest on loyalty schemes, how Advantage has confirmed a deal with traditionally B2C operator Imagine Cruising, and how river cruise sales continue to soar.

Here are 10 learnings TTG took away from this year’s Latitude Cruise Conference.

Loyal staff, loyal customers

Clearly, customer loyalty cannot be fostered overnight. During the “Loyalty Unlocked: turning customers into fans” panel session, moderated by TTG, Fred Olsen Travel managing director Julie Berry argued “customer loyalty comes off the back of staff loyalty”.

Next year, an unnamed Fred Olsen Travel staff member – who works in the agency’s Felixstowe branch – will celebrate 35 years with the company. Berry believes this kind of milestone encourages customers in the Felixstowe area to keep coming back into the shop due to the longstanding relationships they have with this particular colleague.

“We’ve got very strong staff loyalty across our 23 shops," said Berry. "What that means is when we’re building loyalty with the customers they’re coming back to the individuals – that is really important for the relationship to develop and build over time."

When asked how loyalty schemes will evolve, Paul Beale, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania’s vice-president sales, UK and Ireland, said: “I imagine personalisation will be important. We’ve got quite rigid tiers but I would think if a customer takes more business class flights, then the rewards should appeal more towards that element. More flexibility, more personalisation and use of AI to feed all this information into one place and personalise the rewards off the back of that.”

Beverley Travel co-owner Kelly Cheesman agreed technology will help suppliers and agencies advance their loyalty schemes and “make everything simpler for us”. “At Beverley Travel, we thought ‘what can we do to keep customers coming back to us?’,” said Cheesman. “We decided the VIP Club was the way to do that. If a loyalty scheme is done right, a customer will naturally think of your agency first.”

People 'ready' to be sold cruises

Clia UK and Ireland managing director Andy Harmer raced through a number of illuminating cruise stats during Wednesday's business session (15 October).

One of the most exciting was how more than two-thirds (68%) of people who have never cruised before are “now ready to be sold a cruise”, according to Harmer. “That is why it’s so important we’re ready to offer a cruise at every opportunity,” he told agent delegates at the conference.

Credit: Advantage Travel Partnership

This year, Clia also asked why regular cruise passengers kept coming back onboard. Harmer said: “The top reason for that [repeat guest] is a cruise holiday gives the customer the opportunity to visit multiple destinations and unpack once. I think when you’ve been in cruise for a long time, you forget that’s a really good reason for people to choose to cruise.”

Around 21% of people said this is why they kept choosing to cruise.

Lines must work together for 'mutual success'

Over the past two years, Clia UK and Ireland data shows the percentage of new-to-cruise passengers has jumped from 27% in 2023 to 31% this year. It was as low as 24% in 2019. Harmer explained: “We’re doing a far better job at attracting those new-to-cruise passengers and there are loads of reasons for that.”

Fly-on-the-wall documentaries about life on cruise ships have “helped to break down those barriers”, Harmer said. Carnival Corporation brands – Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Line – as well as Regent Seven Seas Cruises are among the many cruise lines to have allowed cameras on their ships to showcase the onboard experience to millions of viewers in recent years.

Cunard’s associate vice-president, EMEA sales, Iain Baillie urged agents in the room to target new-to-cruise passengers with renewed vigour. “New-to-cruise – let’s go," he said. "Let’s get that number up from less than 3% [cruise’s penetration of the overall holiday market]. We need to keep working together for mutual success.”

Credit: Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises’ UK and Europe sales director Hayley Moore suggested the millions of Brits who love cruising are the “biggest opportunity” to help encourage people to book a cruise.

“The onboard experience is what people fall in love with,” said Moore. “There’s an opportunity to bring new customers in. The people who love cruise can do the best job for us.”

She urged agents to connect with seasoned cruisers to “help tell those meaningful stories” to non-cruisers.

Agents playing 'meaningful' role

Clia data shows 79% of cruise passengers said travel agents have had “a meaningful impact on their decision to cruise”, according to Harmer.

Addressing agents directly, he said: “In other words, they’re listening to you, you’re doing an amazing job and explaining the cruise experience, telling customers what to expect and preparing them for their first sailing and getting them over the line to book their first cruise.”

But he warned agents about overwhelming customers when suggesting a cruise holiday to them. “There are lots of different products, ships and destinations. It’s about making sure that you don’t try to do everything at once,” he continued.

“Travel agents are great because they know their customer’s booking history so it’s about finding the right place to start.”

River cruise and new-to-cruise

Harmer highlighted how river cruise is an attractive option for people who wish to book their first sailing. “River cruise is really important. It’s a good way to get people into that cruising funnel,” he said.

He noted how a decade ago, 10% of cruisers said the first cruise they booked was on the river. That figure has now risen to 29%. “This [jump] is really important for our river cruise operators, but it’s also really important for ocean because those people who try river first will try ocean too,” Harmer continued.

Budget fears

The UK budget is due to take place on 26 November. Advantage Travel Partnership commercial director John Sullivan said the consortium is "really conscious" about next month's Budget and the headwinds it is predicted to create for customers.

"To be honest, I wish the Budget was happening sooner than 26 November," Sullivan admitted.

Credit: Advantage Travel Partnership

He continued: "People are erring on the side that it will not be brilliant, but once it's announced the consumer will know what they are facing and that uncertainty will be gone."

On stage, Harmer added: “In times that economically tough, we find that all-inclusive holidays and cruise perform particularly well because again it’s all about allowing your customers to budget ahead so they don’t have any surprises when they get back.”

The ‘halo effect’ of partnerships

During “The Leadership Lense” panel on Wednesday (15 October), Riviera Travel director of trade and partnerships Vicky Billing was the first panellist to explain how partnerships can help people overcome mental barriers about booking a cruise.

Fellow panellists – P&O Cruises’ Ruth Venn, Princess Cruises’ Moore and Cunard’s Baillie – all dived in and echoed Billing’s position on partnerships, highlighting their own brands’ successful tie-ups.

“Our age demographic is 60-plus, so we stay in our lane,” said Billing. “We absolutely home in on that. We partner with the English Heritage charity which is amazing because the amount of new-to-cruise or yet-to cruise customers that have come from that channel is quite incredible. Customers are coming back and booking one, two or three holidays with us.”

Baillie said Cunard also had partnerships which “complemented” the cruise line “really well”, naming The Olivier Awards and Cheltenham Literature Festival in the process.

“I think it’s important to note how agents capitalise on those partnerships,” he added. “A lot of agents can convert on that interest from customers. That halo effect of partnerships is very impactful for Cunard.”

Agents driving bookings for longer sailings

Venn, who was promoted by P&O Cruises to the role of associate vice-president, sales and distribution earlier this year, noted how agents are in the box seat to sell longer cruises because they’ve often experienced the ships they’re selling first hand.

She said: “Where we see some bookings trends is around sailing duration. Agents do a better job of selling our longer duration product. They understand the product. Our website might sell the cabin, but our agents will sell the sunset, the experience and the entertainment.”

Small-ship luxury ‘gap’

During the “Advantage Unplugged” session, director of cruise Jonny Peat was asked if there were any cruise brands, he wanted to agree commercial terms with to boost Advantage agents’ booking levels further.

“We’ve got a few [agreements] on the cards. The conversations are progressing. We work with a number of brilliant cruise lines already."

Credit: iStock/ ozgurcankaya

He continued: "This is not about diluting the business. This is about making sure we’ve got something new for members to sell.”

When pressed about any “gaps” in the portfolio, Peat said: “The small-ship luxury piece is an area we could focus. There are brands coming into the market. We’re definitely talking to those potentials.”

Imagine Cruising partnership

Before the business sessions kicked off on Wednesday, Advantage announced an exclusive partnership with Imagine Cruising. The consortium said: “The announcement marks a significant milestone in the company’s strategy to significantly expand its differentiated holiday offerings for members.”

Advantage’s cruise members will have exclusive access to Imagine Cruising’s portfolio of “bucket-list itineraries, combining traditional sea voyages with immersive land tours, luxury rail journeys and premium hotel stays across the globe”.

Sullivan told media: “There have been fairly lengthy conversations between us and them. As a B2C operator, there are changes that they need to work through but they work at pace and at speed. What they do is quite unique.” 

TTG and Royal Caribbean have launched a four-week competition – Switch Me On To Cruise – offering new-to-cruise travel agents prizes when they learn about the brand.

Agents can answer a new question or solve a new riddle every weekday until 31 October for the chance to win prizes including branded suitcases, AirTags, Stanley cups and more.

Every day agents enter the competition, they will receive an entry into the grand prize draw for a seven-night cruise onboard Icon of the Seas.