14-15 Q&A ttgk cruise 25/1/08 09:47 Page 3
What’s hot in the cruise sector for 2008? Three very
different cruise operators give us their views
A REAL EXPEDITION ACTION AND RELAXATION SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL
BRUCE POON TIP GILL HAYNES PETER WILLIAMS
Chief executive Head of Marketing and
and founder of marketing, sales director,
GAP Adventures Ocean Village Hebridean
Q
What are the main trends in
2008 in your sector? Q
What are the main trends in
2008 in your sector? Q
What are the main trends in
2008 in your sector?
A
We do expedition cruising, so it’s
not traditional cruising as you A
People are looking for multi-
level experiences now – they A
We are finding that increasing
numbers of people are looking
might think of it. People want more want to have a really good choice of for a unique cruise experience, and not
remote, more intimate experiences. I things to do, going the full spectrum a large cruise ship. They are definitely
think the big thing will be making them from exhilaration to relaxation. prepared to pay for small ships which
even more participatory. When we Cave river tubing is one example of offer itineraries that go off the beaten
developed our programmes, like the tall something we’ve added to meet that track, and destinations that the larger
ship in Brazil and the Amazon cruise, demand. You hop into an inflated liners can’t get to. People are also
getting more involved was always an tube, and bob down a river cave demanding more from the cultural side.
option, but it seems to be why passen- system. Clients want adrenaline, so We have guest speakers including,
gers are coming. People like to go home we are really pushing the boundaries Esther Rantzen, Michael Buerk, and
and tell stories about how they scrubbed on that kind of thing. John Hutchinson, who was the first
the deck or helped raise the sails. Concorde pilot. They become part of
Q
What’s your main news? Q
What’s your main news? the whole cruise experience.
A
We have a new sail programme in A
We have a new Caribbean
itinerary for 2008/9, based Q
What’s your main news?
southern Thailand. The ship has around Barbados and Barbuda. It’s a
small cabins, private bathrooms, and new mix for us, and will combine the A
For the first time this winter, we
have started a programme to the
holds only 12 passengers. We do differ- very familiar islands with ones that Caribbean and Central and South
ent itineraries based on the season and are visited rather less often like America, and we’re finding that places
weather conditions. The Brazil tall ship Bonaire and St Vincent. Both ships like Cuba and Columbia are becoming
programme is in its second year, and we also now offer a club lounge, which very popular. Our Footloose walking
have added new routes like Rio to is proving a real success. It’s a special itineraries will now be offered on
Salvador, programmes going south and lounge at the front of the ship Hebridean Spirit in the Mediterranean
some longer programmes. We also have reserved for suite passengers, who in the summer, one of which will
a new itinerary for the Amazon, and can buy into it for £10 per day. feature the Azores.
have tripled the number of departures.
Q
What are you going to do for Q
What are you going to do
for agents this year? Q
What are you going to do for
agents this year?
agents this year?
A
We constantly have three people A
We are really committed to
training. We relaunched our A
We have an agents’ partnership
group called the Hebridean Elite,
on the road in the UK offering training pack just before Christmas, which includes about 40 or 50 agents.
training for people at any time. There and it has a funky take again. There’s We work with them to help with
are also our Famazons. We take agents an interactive CD-ROM that takes marketing and promotions. We do
up the Amazon, and we train on our people through what we offer in bite- presentations with them, and help
other programmes while we’re there. sized pieces with lots of multiple them convert their customers into
We offer online training, we do all the choice questions. We also have Waves bookings. We would be delighted to
major travel shows, and this year we’re of Wisdom training modules on the hear from any agent who thinks that
going to be running more contests and Complete Cruise Solution website. they would like to work more closely
discounts. Agents should contact our And we’ll have 100 fam trips for with us, and they should contact
office or see gapadventures.com agents aboard Ocean Village in 2008. david.smith@hebridean.co.uk
People like to go home and talk about how
they scrubbed the deck and raised the sails
TTG Knowledge CRUISE January 2008 15
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