CLIA's NCVW Generates an Expected $55 Million in Sales

Dec 09, 2011

Members of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) are taking advantage of the recent news that National Cruise Vacation Week (NCVW) reported an expected $55-plus million in sales resulting from events during the week of Oct. 17-23, along with virtual promotions throughout October. This translates into more than $7 million in potential commissions.

“CLIA member travel agencies and consumers across North America have responded strongly to NCVW and to the many outstanding offers from CLIA member travel agencies and cruise lines,” said Bob Sharak, CLIA’s executive vice president, marketing and distribution. “This is a strong signal that the innovative vacation experiences and remarkable value offered by the cruise lines, combined with the marketing and promotional efforts of CLIA member travel agencies, result in a successful sales formula. The result is a win-win-win situation for cruise lines, travel agents and, especially, the traveling public.”

Participating CLIA agents reported that more than 55,000 consumers attended physical NCVW events held by 1,049 CLIA agencies this year. The agent survey response indicates that agencies offering such events have already generated or anticipate generating 29,000 bookings for an estimated $32 million in sales, potentially yielding more than an estimated $4.2 million in commissions.

Almost 4,400 agents registered with CLIA to conduct a virtual NCVW event this year — up from 3,200 in 2010 — inviting them to visit individually customized NCVW websites with cruise line videos, agency contact information and special offers. Agents surveyed are projecting nearly 23,000 bookings and more than $23 million in actual and future sales as a result of the leads and contacts generated through the four weeks.

“CLIA’s travel agent members and the cruise lines responded to NCVW like never before, recognizing the opportunity to build the foundation for a highly successful year ahead,” Sharak said. “It is obvious that their promotions and NCVW marketing initiatives resonated with a huge, untapped desire on the part of a broad range of consumers to take a cruise vacation.”