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Spinning plates

Nuttall said cruise agents were currently “spinning two plates”, with efforts split between selling remaining 2019 ocean capacity, while also looking to 2020.


“We’re selling well ahead for next year and we want to keep that booking curve up, but it’s very important we get as much out of 2019 as we can.”


River cruise specialist James Hill of GoCruise said he had received “a clutch of new enquiries” before New Year’s Eve.


“I think it will just keep going now, as people are looking for 2020 and there’s good forward demand there,” he said.


Hill described how the key summer sailing months in Europe were “fairly heavily booked” with the Rhine and Rhone particularly well sold – pushing consumers to look ahead to next year already.


Further afield, he reported that demand for the Mekong is “holding up well”, with “big anniversary trips” unaffected by any financial concerns.


In Europe, he said sales of flight-inclusive river bookings were “looking strong” and, with the looming impact of Brexit, Hill explained he believed customers were opting for protected packages rather than arranging their own transport to meet river vessels.


“I’ve had a lot more people mentioning Brexit than last year, but it doesn’t seem to be deterring booking,” he added.


Scott Anderson, general manager of The Luxury Cruise Company, said it was hard to tell if Brexit would have an impact on the high-end market.


“It’s difficult to know, but Brexit could create a lates market once March has come and gone and things become clearer,” he predicted.


Anderson added there was a “real trend for long-haul”, with Asia proving particularly popular.


“Japan especially is going really well. We’ve also had a lot of new-to-cruise clients,” he said.

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