Fri Jul 11 2008, written by Ian Gittlitz of Traveltrade
COPENHAGEN- If anyone ever had doubts about the vibrant nature of the international travel agent community, all they had to do was look at the successful HAL Eurodam inaugural a week ago in Europe.
The company was able to successfully show off the ship to some 35,000 visitors - agents boarded by the thousands in Rotterdam, Copenhagen and Hamburg.
One afternoon, the poolside Lido deck was packed with visitors who were treated to fresh herring by HAL. And they loved it.
Led by Stein Kruse and Rick Meadows, the HAL team worked round the clock entertaining visitors and Centurion top-producing agents while dignitaries, working agents and Mariners (former cruisers) and former HAL employees attended events day after day as Holland welcomed the newbuild home. Logistically, it was something to behold.
The most exciting part of the week-long festivities, in my view, was seeing European agents of all ages queuing excitedly to get on board to see the inside of the Eurodam.
The naming ceremony itself resembled a world class pop concert or sporting championship with soldout grandstands, consumers peeking in from every possible nook and cranny - all work stopped in the nearby office tower, with workers crowding around windows to see their Queen and the new ship.
If the worldwide economy is slowing interest in leisure travel, you would never know it by the excitement in Rotterdam that went on for days.
Just two weeks earlier, I was on a two week RCI Independence of the Seas cruise, and was amazed in port after port - in Italy, Portugal, Spain - how so many agents were lining up for midday ship inspections. They were genuinely excited to get on board to see everything new.
As I wrote in this space recently, the best news is that as Europeans become more excited about the newest wave of newbuild cruise ships, they are also developing a global appetite for worldwide cruising.
I heard it over and over again from fellow travelers from the UK: they wanted to book more trips to places they had never been, such as the Caribbean and the Mexican Riviera. They asked me about year-round cruises from New York to Canada.
It is one thing to write about HAL successfully inviting some 35,000 guests aboard in one inaugural week, but it is quite another to see it live.
Some of the European agents were quite young and full of anticipation about seeing the Eurodam. Clearly, they had been well informed in advance that this was a new Signature Class ship and was an important ship to see for future client bookings.
The cruise industry has been correct to see the opportunity in European sailings, the profit potential and the longer term market potential of introducing so many Europeans to cruise vacations.
The European cruisers I met on board both the HAL and the RCI ships were overwhelmed. They were awed by the food selection, shows, spa treatments and other onboard special events.
Compared to a simple vacation trip to one or two cities, being onboard a cruise ship offered Europeans a great experience that was incomparable.
And if the magic word in our industry now is “value,” the European cruisers I met certainly agreed.
Price is always an issue when buying travel, especially in this economy, but my sense is that price will not be a pivotal issue for Europeans when they select their second, third and fourth cruises.
They will want destinations, but I believe brand will mean almost everything.
A happy first-time HAL cruiser here will want to pick from a future HAL cruise, whether that is their first Alaska cruise or a maiden visit to the Caribbean.
Branding will mean everything for the growing number of cruise lines sailing the Mediterranean or Baltic.
And it was great to see so many travel agents abroad, and so many younger agents coming into the business.
They will pay our industry dividends for years to come after sailing on or inspecting the newest ships in Europe.
They will enthusiastically book more clients on the ships they have seen.
Word of mouth will make European cruisers just the beginning of a new wave of clients who will move beyond Europe and create more demand in the traditional cruising itineraries of North America.
If Asia is still relatively untapped as a cruise market for our industry, consider how positive the wave of newbuilds is for a new generation of European leisure travelers.
But you had to see it in person over the past few weeks to understand the enormity of this opportunity.