Amadeus Cruise success mirrors increasing popularity for cruise holidays among Brits
London – 03 September, 2008: Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, has experienced a 34% increase in UK bookings in 2008 through its market leading cruise solution, Amadeus Cruise, compared to the same time last year.
Since the beginning of this year, 77 new cruise agents have chosen to use Amadeus Cruise, a real-time sales and information solution, as their preferred cruise booking vehicle.
Having access to 16 major cruise lines, including the newly added Azamara Cruises brand, these agents are able to offer their customers access to even more destinations and experiences, making it easier for them to provide customers with their dream cruise holiday.
Michael English, head of field sales, Azamara Cruises said: “Azamara Cruises is a new brand for the cruise industry and growing in its profile amongst the UK and Ireland travel trade as a destination-led luxury operator. As part of our Easy To Do Business With strategy and investment in a sales team dedicated to the Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises brands, we are really excited about working with Amadeus Cruise. Thanks to this distribution system, Azamara Cruises is now even more easily accessible to travel professionals.”
Elaine Seeto, Director of Marketing at Amadeus UK & Ireland said: “Amadeus Cruise continues to help travel professionals make the most of the thriving cruise industry. The growth in cruise bookings mirrors the popularity of cruise holidays being seen as a value-for-money alternative to traditional land-based resort holidays, painting a positive picture for the cruise industry. Amadeus Cruise is an effective link between travel professionals and the cruise lines, allowing agents to access real-time reservation information and cruise experiences with ease and speed, virtually eliminating the need for agents to telephone busy call centres.”
To coincide with the first ever National Cruise Week (7-14 September), Amadeus is working with NCL on a booking promotion and will be giving away a Nintendo DS Lite in a weekly prize-draw. Agents making NCL bookings using Amadeus Cruise during September are automatically entered into the 4 prize-draws. NCL is also offering bonus commission for agents booking via Amadeus Cruise throughout September, to further promote the huge choice of destinations and activities open to passengers combined with the agency benefits of using Amadeus.
Amadeus Cruise will be showcased at the forthcoming Travel Weekly Cruise Roadshows (16-18 September).
