The latest cruise tools from Celebrity Cruises, Cruise Planners and World Travel Holdings’ Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. brands are helping agents make the most out of their bookings by providing cash incentives, lead-generating opportunities and ways for agents to provide the best available fares for their clients.
Celebrity Rewards
Celebrity Cruises has introduced its first trade loyalty program, Celebrity Rewards, for North America travel agents. For every qualified booking made on or after Jan. 1, 2017, registered agents will receive 500 points. Once they reach 2,500 points, they can redeem the points for $25 placed on the reloadable gift card. To further incentivize agents, all ChoiceAir bookings during January and February 2017 will earn 500 bonus points. For more information, visit celebrityrewards.com.
The Redesigned CruisePlanners.com
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, has redesigned its website to simplify users’ experience and create more opportunities for franchisees to book travel by giving potential clients the ability to connect a travel advisor more easily. Enhancements to the website include a lead-generating tool that matches clients with the right travel advisor based on the agents’ current online availability; SEO-rich content that will help drive web traffic for all target markets including travel consumers, potential franchisees and those looking for information regarding travel agent services; exclusive travel deals such as added or upgraded amenities and reservation discounts not available through other online travel retailers; and agent profile listings.
In addition, Cruise Planners’ enhanced website features a new chat feature, a responsive design for mobile viewing, and the ability for agents to send their clients digital trip summaries within minutes.
“The main benefit of the new site is the convenience of immediately connecting travelers with the right travel advisor,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-owner of Cruise Planners, in press materials. “Consumers want an on-demand way of making a human connection, which results in superior service—this helps bridge the high-tech world with the human touch that can only come from a personal travel advisor.” For more information, visit cruiseplanners.com.
Cruise Fare Watch
Dream Vacations, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. have launched a new technology tool that tracks cruise fare fluctuations based on date and cabin category. By using Cruise Fare Watch, agents are able to monitor cruise line price changes using three different types of “watches.”
The “From a booking” watch links to an existing booking and can assist agents in demonstrating the value of booking in advance, as well as create opportunity to upgrade for less money or upsell to a higher cabin category. The “From a customer” watch can be used by the agent to notify a prospective customer when the cruise fare has reached a certain price point, while the “From a sailing” watch can be used as a marketing tool if an agent sells a lot of a specific itinerary or cruise line. In addition, agents can select if they want to be alerted when a price drops or increases by a specific dollar amount or percentage. For more information, visit dreamvacationsfranchise.com, nlg.com or sellcruises.com.
