New to travel franchisees enjoy a Virgin Voyages cruise that combines workshops and real-life experiences to help them conquer the booming lucrative cruise market
On 30th June around 95 Not Just Travel agents and corporate staff will step on board Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady and cruise the Med for seven nights.
The trip is not only a great opportunity for the travel consultants to experience the cruise for themselves – and hence make it easier for them to sell – but it’s also a chance for them to attend a series of workshops that teach them how to master the art of selling a cruise.
This event is all part of the Travel Franchise’s Cruise Division and is the company’s fourth Seminar at Sea.
The Division was set up in 2022 with the aim of educating and training agents to take full advantage of the growing cruise market.
According to the latest statistics from Cruise Lines International Association, the leading voice of the global cruise community, cruise holidays continue to be one of the fastest-growing and most resilient sectors of tourism.
- In 2023 31.7 million passengers took a cruise – almost two million more compared with pre-pandemic days.
- In 2024 that figure is due to rise even more with 35.7 million cruise passengers forecasted.
- The number of new-to-cruise passengers is rising each year – 27% of everyone that cruised in 2023 were first-time cruisers!
Alongside the sector’s growth, cruise holidays also command some of the highest commissions in the travel industry and it’s an area agents are in demand – 73% of cruise travellers say their travel advisor has a meaningful impact on their cruise holiday.
But agents need to be aware of the complexities that often come with booking a cruise: namely the need to be familiar with the hundreds of cruise lines on offer and the thousands of cruise ships available, not to mention the choice of cabin; the choice of package and the choice of itinerary.
The Travel Franchise set up its Cruise Division to fully empower its agents to be able to navigate this complicated sector and keep up with growing demand.
In particular, the company’s Seminar at Sea training retreats were designed to allow agents to combine first-hand experience and training in tandem.
This upcoming Seminar will see agents fully immersed in Virgin Voyages’ “Irresistible Med” itinerary. They’ll depart Barcelona and travel to Toulon, Marina di Carrara, Ajaccio and Ibiza.
During the trip, consultants will attend intensive training workshops delivered by leading cruise experts, plus they’ll learn hands-on techniques and game-changing strategies to boost their cruise bookings.
In addition, they’ll be joined by Not Just Travel’s brand ambassador Hayley Sparkes, who will share presenting techniques and on-screen confidence strategies.
Not Just Travel co-founder Steve Witt will lead the business sessions, sharing his tried and tested business growth strategies, while several of NJT’s cruise experts will also be on hand.
“Our Seminar at Sea is always hosted by one of our incredible key trade cruise partners and is our ultimate investment in people; we pay for our consultants to open their eyes to the endless possibilities within the cruise market. There is simply no better way to learn than to experience it for yourself, alongside inspirational peers, colleagues and friends,” said Witt.