Cruising reigns supreme when it comes to travel agent bookings, according to a new survey of 9,000 travel advisors released by Allianz Partners during CruiseWorld, a conference that took place this week in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Note: CruiseWorld is produced by Northstar Travel Group, the parent company of TravelAge West).
More than half of agents surveyed say the majority of their bookings come from cruise: 27% of advisors say that cruising makes up 75-100% of cruise bookings; 25% say 51-75% of their bookings are from cruises; and 26% say 26-50% are from cruises. Only 6% say that less than 5% of their bookings come from cruises.
What Types of Cruises Are Travelers Booking?
When it comes to the type of cruises booked by these agents, ocean cruises are the clear leader, with 81% of agents booking them this past year. River cruises come second (16%), followed by expedition (2%) and themed cruises (1%). The expedition market shows strong potential for repeat cruisers, with 43% of expedition cruisers saying they will definitely book another voyage (and 39% of them report that they will probably book a repeat voyage).
Interest in cultural cruises is on the rise, with 35% of advisors seeing more interest in that cruise type.
Who Is Cruising?
Cruising is popular with groups, with 26% of agents reporting that they are selling more multigenerational groups than in recent years. Solo travel has risen 13%, and couples cruising has bumped up 12%. However, nearly half (49%) of advisors say they haven’t witnessed a difference in the number of travelers who are cruising overall.
How Far in Advance Are These Trips Booked?
Forty percent of agents report that travelers are booking trips further out than they were in 2022, while 24% believe the booking window has shortened, and 36% think the booking window has remained the same. The most common booking window was six months to a year (52%), followed by three to six months (27%). Only 11% see the shortest booking window — departure within three months of booking.
Are Cruisers Buying Travel Insurance?
Travel advisors value the sale of travel insurance when selling cruises, with 92% of agents believing that their clients feel better protected when they have an Allianz policy, and 82% of agents reporting that their travelers feel more confident setting sail when they have a travel protection plan.
“When travel advisors help secure a cruise vacation with an Allianz Travel insurance policy, they provide travelers the ability to relax and focus on the adventure ahead, knowing they’re protected against covered, unexpected events that could ordinarily sink an unprotected travel budget,” said Dan Durazo, director of external communications for Allianz Partners USA.
How Can Travel Advisors Connect With Allianz?
In September, Allianz unveiled Allianz Advantage, a new self-service online portal for travel advisors.
AllianzAdvantage.com features training and educational materials, and features advisor success stories and answers to frequently asked questions on products, technology, partnerships and events (including virtual webinars). Allianz Advantage also serves as a gateway to AgentMax, QuoteMax and MaxMail.
Visitors to the website will first sign up to be a partner through the portal’s Become a Partner tool, which will allow them to begin offering travel insurance to their customers.
“We’re proud to offer some of the best travel insurance tools in the business, including our award-winning AgentMax online booking platform, marketing tools such as QuoteMax and MaxMail and our powerful new digital brochure platform,” said Richard Aquino, vice president and head of sales at Allianz Partners USA. “The new AllianzAdvantage.com offers one-stop access to these tools and serves as the gateway to our Sherpa destinations guide, our new travel advisor handbook and the latest marketing resources for travel advisors. Having all of these resources under one roof will allow our partners to effectively and efficiently offer travel insurance for the benefit of both their valued clients and their business.”
