THE proliferation of hotel brands preparing to set sail in the luxury cruise space will see the number of new-to-cruise clients rise over the coming years, according to Flight Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG) Global Managing Director Luxury & Independent Danielle Galloway.
A key driver for the shift is the strength of the brand loyalty already enjoyed by major hotel chains like Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, both of which have entered the cruise sector in recent years.
“Those brands have such high loyalty and that is creating a real opportunity to expand beyond the hotel segment and into the cruise space,” Galloway told Cruise Weekly.
“I think that’s where the whole industry benefits, because in the cruise segment we are getting those new-to-industry clients on the ships, which is great to see.”
Galloway also praised the entry of the hotel brands from a volume and quality perspective, stating simply that “more inventory on the seas means more opportunity for us to sell”.
Alongside touring, the cruise sector has been the strongest performer for FCTG’s Luxury Travel Collection (LTC), with Galloway revealing the segment has been “significantly up” this year compared to last year.
Meanwhile, LTC’s General Manager Nikki Glading also pointed to a changing age demographic seeking out luxury cruise experiences.
“This is the first time in history where there are seven living generations within a family…and it is quite common now in that multigen space to have four generations travelling together,” Glading explained.
“You have to have a brand that’s able to cater to making every one of those generations happy in order for multigen [to grow], and that’s really a strong trend at the moment,” she added.
“There are some new cruise lines like Explora Journeys that have ships that are not too big and not too small and really cater to everybody.”
Further insights observed by Galloway and Glading included a growing preference for staying in ports for longer durations for deeper immersion. AB
