Azamara Cruises has introduced a series of changes to its trade support after feedback from its Partner Advisory Panels, including giving agents 10-14 days’ advance notice of new deployments.
The cruise line said following feedback from the first panel, agents now receive full day-by-day itinerary details, pricing and marketing assets during a pre-registration period before new deployments go on sale.
This means, Azamara said, agents can ‘engage their clients and prepare any ancillary work such as contacting DMCs, to package and be prepared for opening sale day, ultimately securing the best space for their clients’.
The panels, launched last year, bring together representatives from travel agents, cruise specialists, homeworkers, tour operators and consortia. It meets twice a year, with the aim of turning partner ‘feedback into real change’.
The panels have also influenced changes to the Experience More (ExMo) packages, with Azamara introducing a fixed daily price in local currency to make the package easier for agents to sell.
Azamara said panel feedback has also led to itinerary names being changed to better reflect market recognition, and helped shape ways in which the line communicates offers to agencies.
The line added: “The panel has also validated our tools and helped us set internal priorities for the upcoming year, such as their endorsement of Azamara Rewards and RezA booking system as best in class.”
Director of Sales, UK & Ireland Stuart Pearce said: “When we came up with the concept of this panel, we always knew it would help shape our thinking, but in reality, it does more than that. It gives our partners a genuine seat at the table and turns feedback into real change, from how we package our itineraries to the tools we give agents to sell them.
“It’s a partnership in the truest sense, and we’re grateful to everyone who gave their time and honesty.”
Chief International Sales Officer David Siewers added: “It was great to bring our partners together again in London. The conversation was open, honest and full of practical insights from people who talk to cruise customers every day. With the trade responsible for nearly 90 per cent of our business in the UK & Ireland, this kind of input directly shapes how we develop our products and support our partners, and we’re already looking at how we can act on what we heard.”
The changes were highlighted following the second meeting of Azamara’s UK Partner Advisory Panel, held in London last week, which brought together representatives from partner travel agents, cruise specialists, homeworkers, tour operators and consortia including Barrhead, Iglu, Advantage Travel Partnership, Gold Medal, Fred Olsen Travel, ROL and Panache Cruises.
