What officials say about the cruising industry in Australia is true – it’s one of the fastest growing areas of travel and in turn, a huge opportunity for Travel Agents to increase their earnings.
If you don’t believe CLIA’s figures, then just ask the guys over at TravelManagers, who say that specialising in cruising has led to results they “never thought possible”.
Top selling Western Australia-based consultant Carl Retschlag (also a finalist in CLIA’s 2017 Cruise Awards) said focusing on the booming sector has allowed him to grow his business beyond expectations.
“TravelManagers allows me to use my creativity to create new and interesting ways to offer exciting value for money cruise experiences to my clients.”
Carl Retschlag, TravelManagers Western Australia
“As a result I am achieving results I never thought possible.”
Over the last six months (January to Jun), TravelManagers says its cruise sales increased by 15 percent compared to the same period last year. This comes in addition to a 22 percent growth in cruise bookings last year compared to 2015.
This consistent growth in cruise sales has led to the home-based group being awarded Cruiseco’s Top 5 in sales award for 2016 for the third consecutive year.
Image: Alex Block/Unsplash
TravelManagers’ Executive General Manager Michael Gazal views the Cruiseco win as a forerunner to this year’s performance, highlighting the significant contribution personal travel managers (PTMs) make to the cruise sector.
“We know we have a winning formula and are proud that as a company we continue to take very positive steps to educate our PTMs and promote the value of cruising and developing strategies and techniques in converting cruise enquiries.”
Michael Gazal, TravelManagers Executive General Manager
The Cruiseco awards dinner marked the end of Cruiseco’s 16th National Conference in Adelaide where attendees enjoyed a mix of scheduled business seminars with casual exhibition time allowing delegates to spend time with Cruiseco’s cruise partners, as well as key note speakers, panel discussions and interviews.