I recently got back from the CruiseWorld conference, which was held in Miami this year, and I learned several lessons from the 800-plus attendees. (Note: CruiseWorld is produced by Northstar Travel Group, the parent company of TravelAge West.)
First, there is a lot of excitement throughout the industry for the coming year. Second, travel advisors have earned suppliers’ deep respect. And, finally, we will realistically be dealing with the fallout of the past 20 months for at least another year or two.
As you can read in our most recent cover story, these points are just the tip of the iceberg. The ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic stretch throughout our personal and professional lives. Companies will feel the implications of the crisis in ways that we cannot fully imagine. For instance, one hot topic at CruiseWorld was the extensive Future Cruise Credits (FCC) that are in the market. Many feel that these FCCs are going to complicate the overall recovery for years to come. However, several cruise line executives pointed out that they give advisors an opportunity to work with clients who are basically already committed to traveling. (You can learn more about FCCs in a few of the CruiseWorld Connection video interviews I hosted at CruiseWorld, which you can find at https://www.travelagewest.com/media/cw-connection.)
Just as the fallout from the Great Recession lasted for three or four years, we will be dealing with supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and consolidations for years to come. Some companies will also need to work on regaining the trust of advisors and customers. At CruiseWorld, I heard from advisors who said they would never work with certain suppliers again because of the way they acted when agents needed their support the most.
Of course, there was a lot more that I learned at CruiseWorld, but I think the most important message was that — no matter what the future has in store for us — it’s clear that travel will remain an economic and emotional touchstone for a long time to come.
