The CLIA reception in Lennan’s Yard, Dawson Street was held ahead of this year’s Cruise Week, which will take place from Sept 18-24. Andy Harmer and David Sanders mingled with media and members of the travel trade ahead of Andy Harmer’s speech.
Andy Harmer welcomed and thanked a packed venue with special mention to the Travel Agent Advisory Council, many of whom were in attendance*.
It’s Harmer Time
ITTN chatted to Andy Harmer who explained the average age of cruisers is reducing with Italy and America leading the way and significantly ahead of the UK & Ireland. The benefit to this market is there is significant potential to expand the target client base and with family friendly ships with water parks and race tracks, it’s not just for the older age bracket. Couple this with trendy ships and exciting itineraries, there is a cruise for everyone.
Andy explained, “The reason we have cruise week is because we want to reach those people who have never cruised before who are tempted to cruise”. Andy shared that CLIA’s “latest sentiment data says about 71% of people who have never cruised before are ready to take a cruise. And, that’s the highest it’s ever been.”
Mr. Harmer (given his recent OBE for services to the maritime sector) thanked CLIA’s travel agent partners for communicating the cruise message to prospective customers, for “talking about cruise to those customers who haven’t even asked for it”.
He added a heartfelt thank you to the cruise line partners who were well-represented on the night.
Andy explained: “As you’ve seen this year, we have seen lots of new ships coming onto the market. That’s great, not just for the brands but also great for the whole industry because it gets us talking about cruising in a way that we haven’t before. It’s great to see new brands being launched – Explorer Journeys, for example, but also great to see that growth in the luxury and the expeditions space as well.”
Cruise Week – 18th to 24th September
CLIA Cruise Week runs from 18-24 September 2023 and will see a wealth of daily content focusing on the variety and diversity of cruise holidays available. CLIA member agents will have access to a range of trade-specific cruise resources across the week. Cruise lines, river cruise operators and members of the CLIA team will take the campaign on the road, visiting trade partners to help amplify the cruise message. This can range from the latest cruise passenger statistics, sustainability updates and insight, to the new entertainment onboard this year.
ITTN for Extensive & Exclusive Cruise Coverage:
Stay #ITTNSwitchedOn to ITTN for the latest cruise coverage – Sharon Jordan has just returned from an exclusive trip onboard the Norwegian Viva – for a sneak peak read:
ITTN’s Shane Cullen returns from MSC Cruises’ brand new Explora Journeys:
- Culinary & Beverage Philosophy of Explora Journeys
- Ocean Front Suites Onboard MSC Explora Journeys with ITTN
- Onboard Explora Journeys MSC’s New Luxury Brand
Plus, Shane boarded the brand new Marella Voyager with TUI’s Dave Smith and the Emerald Princess with Rebecca Kelly.
Exclusive Ocean & River Cruise Interviews:
Watch our Exclusive ITTN interviews with Ireland’s Cruise Reps including:
- Jennifer Callister (Royal Caribbean International) news & onboard Wonder of the Seas;
- Valerie Murphy (Celebrity Cruises) on board Celebrity Beyond;
- Danny Giles (Ponant) chats to ITTN or ITTN onboard Ponant’s Inaugural Seminar at Sea
And don’t forget our River Cruise section with more exclusive interviews with Brian Hynes from The Travel Corporation as well as David Cox from TravelMarvel with exclusive footage of the new TravelMarvel ship.
*CLIA lists members: The Irish Agent Advisory Council (IAAC) as Alan Lynch (Travel Escapes), Astrid Bell (American Holidays), Carol Anne O’Neil (Worldchoice Ireland), Caroline O’Toole (The Travel Suite), Cathy Burke (Travel Counsellors Ireland), Clare Dunne (ITAA Chief Executive), Dominic Burke (Travel Centres), Jeff Collins (Best 4 Travel), John Galligan (John Galligan Travel), Lorraine Quinn (The Travel Suite) and Paul Hackett (Click & Go).
