MMGY Global has launched its new Travel Safety Barometer -- a sentiment tracking tool created for the travel and tourism industry -- to monitor American travellers’ perceptions of how safe it is to engage in specific travel behaviours as the country embarks on its reopening and recovery efforts.
Designed by MMGY’s Travel Intelligence research and insights division, the Barometer is an informational resource for both business and leisure travellers and the industry as the coronavirus continues to fundamentally change all aspects of our society, including when, where and how we feel...
Celebrity Cruises marked its 30th birthday by reflecting on its journey to push the limits of traditional cruising and create a unique modern luxury experience at sea.
Established in 1990 by the Greece-based Chandris Group, the line became part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. seven years later in 1997. Today, Celebrity Cruises has 14 ships and thousands of team members from over 60 countries.
Over the years, Celebrity Cruises has delivered a number of industry firsts and innovations including:
Introducing specialty dining (2000)
The creation of the modern luxury cruise...
Celebrity Cruises is keeping its fingers crossed that it may start an Alaska program in August, confident that coronavirus hasn't put the kibosh on interest in sailings in that part of the world.
Brendan Halcomb of Celebrity's Alaska cruise/cruisetour program told a Tuesday webinar for travel agents in this country that the company has staff looking at the feasibility of sending people to Alaska this summer.
Celebrity has to date idled its fleet through July because of coronavirus but the company said during an earlier webinar it hopes to begin a gradual restart of operations later...
Here's a good way to start the day, a message from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to travel agents outlining a number of initiatives that the industry association is putting in place to help them out ...
A Primer On River Cruising From Avalon Waterways
Over the past decade, river cruising has grown by 250%, proving that when it comes to bodies of water and ships, bigger is not necessarily better.
Avalon Waterways has led the river cruise trend, unveiling for travellers an unforgettable fusion of distinctive sights, colourful cultures and enduring traditions...
As it anticipates setting sail once more, Avalon Waterways has developed a new Avalon Assurance program that’s designed to safeguard the health and happiness of travellers throughout their Avalon river cruise vacation.
Pam Hoffee, managing director of Avalon Waterways, said: “The world has changed but what remains certain is our steadfast commitment to our guests’ safety, comfort and peace-of-mind. To that end, we have established a Global Health & Safety team dedicated to ensuring that the cleanliness of all operations exceeds today’s standards from...
With the opening of on-water marinas in Ontario, Le Boat, is preparing to welcome guests this summer when Parks Canada opens the UNESCO World Heritage Rideau Canal on June 1, 2020.
Lisa Mclean, North American marketing manager for Le Boat, said that: “Once it's safe to travel again, we believe that Le Boat is an ideal option for those looking to vacation closer to home this summer.”
Mclean continued: “Being on your own private cruiser allows you to sleep on board, set your own schedule, plan your own route and control your environment, determine where you stop and whom you...
Crystal has unveiled its new Easy Book program that includes reduced deposits and waived administrative fees for all new bookings through June 30, 2020.
The new program applies to all Crystal experiences – Crystal Cruises, Crystal River Cruises, Crystal Yacht Cruises and Crystal Expedition Cruises – in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The reduced deposit of 15% of the total cruise fare (normally 25%) and waived administration fee (granting guests a 100% refund of deposit if they need to cancel prior to Crystal’s standard cancellation schedules) allow travellers to plan ahead without...
While many companies in the global tourism industry are focusing all of their financial resources on battling the threats they face from COVID-19, GlobalData says that they still need to stay relevant and social media is a relatively cheap way to promote.
The data and analytics company points out, in its “Impact of COVID-19 on the global cruise industry,” that 70% of Brazilians are now spending more time browsing social media when compared to pre-COVID-19 outbreak figures, with an enormous 34% saying they spend all day using social media.
Meanwhile, a considerable number of US...
After holding virtual meetings with its top accounts and travel advisors, Michelle Palma, Vice President, Field Sales – North America, Uniworld, said they’ve gleaned incredible insights into the current market conditions.
“First and foremost is that consumers still want to travel. Many clients that have travel plans for late summer and fall 2020 are optimistic and are waiting to see what happens in the coming weeks as parts of Canada and the world start to open back up,” she told Travel Courier. “That being said, there are also consumers who have written off their...
Over the past few weeks, Silversea’s global team has been reaching out directly to its travel agent partners to answer their questions, listen to their feedback and discuss new ideas.
And based on that input, Silversea’s has made some significant policy updates to help support agents at this challenging time.
Commission Protection
Silversea will now pay commissions on cancelled voyages for all guests who have paid in full, regardless of whether they choose cash refunds or a future cruise credit. This is retroactive to our first cancellations in March, 2020.
And this policy...