| CLIA Cruise News & Views 15 Dec 16: Cruise Outlook

CLIA’s USA Head Office has
been conducting surveys
throughout 2016 with retail
agents across North America
to help the cruise industry
understand numerous trends
across the retail sector.
Key findings from the latest
survey confirm cruise travel’s
popularity continues to rise
and travel agents are generally
reporting a higher cruise sales
volume over last year.
Travel agents also confirm
clients are increasingly
booking cruises further in
advance, shining a light on how
knowledgeable agents can guide
clients toward a cruise with the
best deal before ships reach
sailing capacity – contrary to the
“last minute deal” mentality.
43% report more customers
are booking travel nine months
to a year in advance, while 37%
report higher bookings 12 to 18
months in advance.
Last minute deal hunters are
on the decline, as 20% of travel
agents report a reduction in the
number of travellers booking
cruises less than 3 months out.
Interestingly, these booking
patterns are similar to what
CLIA has reported in the
Australasian Source Market Report
for the last 2 years.