| Cruise taking over from air earlybirds

TRAVELLERS’ booking patterns are no longer being governed by the release of earlybird airfares, with passengers increasingly booking earlier when cruise programs are released, according to Holland America Line (HAL) and Seabourn Director of Sales Tony Archbold (pictured).

Speaking to Cruise Weekly on the sidelines of the Travel Associates 2019 Showcase in Qld last weekend, Archbold said: “I think for many years booking patterns in Australia were run by airlines…when they released their fares to destinations 12 months out, that’s when the booking pattern happened to a large extent”.

However as cruise lines and other products began to push their program release dates back to two, and even three years before departure, travellers are now thinking further in advance.

Archbold said the airfare, which used to be “the driver of the initial purchase and the major purchase to a large extent, too,” had shifted to often become a supplementary buy.

“People will book from the time you release,” he said, acknowledging there would always be a segment of the market that will want to wait until the last minute.

Archbold said Europe in particular had shifted from Aug-Oct being the big selling period to Jun/Jul, which was once a very quiet time of the year.

He noted the competitive nature of the industry also had a role to play, as coach and river cruise operators also aimed to release their programs before their competitors.

Adventure World MD Neil Rodgers, also speaking to CW last weekend, reinforced Archbold’s observations.

“The cruise ships have moved the momentum by booking that far in advance so people are starting to expect that, even though with airlines you can only book 12 months,” Rodgers said.

“So people are booking land trips and the air now afterwards, which is unheard of,” he added.