There is no recession in the cruise business!

I just read this artical by... Kelly Monaghan, CTC. It's great advice, so I am passing on to you.

Virtually every ship sailing from Florida these days goes out at 100% capacity, barring a few last-minute cancellations and no-shows.

The demand is there and the capacity is there. Yes, sadly some of your friends and neighbors must cut back on their discretionary spending these days. But there are literally tens of millions of people who can afford to travel, who want to travel, and who will travel. These are the people to whom you should be directing your marketing efforts.

The second thought I'd like to share is that group cruises, especially group cruises centered around a theme or activity about which people are passionate, are one of the best and fastest ways to maximize your commission potential. The same is no doubt true of tours and all-inclusive vacations, but cruises seem to especially lend themselves to this sort of promotion.

One of the cruises I went on was for people interested in Internet marketing, something I personally am passionate about. What struck me was that people came not just for the onboard seminars -- which were phenomenal -- but to reconnect with friends whom they had met on previous cruises. There will be another next year and the rebooking rate is a phenomenal 85% -- and that number was reached before the ship reached its home port!

Are you beginning to see the power of this? If you can identify and reach a group of people who are passionate about something -- anything -- and then design a shipboard experience that appeals to them, you are well on your way to a virtually guaranteed stream of repeat business, year after year.

And if you're successful, that stream of business should growyear after year after year.
One key to a successful themed cruise is attracting a person or persons who have special expertise or who are well-knownto your target market. Several of ther biggest "gurus" in the Internet marketing field were on the Miracle with me. Best of all, they were not there to give anyone the "hard sell" but to share openly while they relaxed with their buds. As another example, one of the travel agents with the marketing group specializes in themed cruises that appeal to the considerable fan base for old sci-fi TV series. He's now working on a cruise featuring Kevin Sorbo.

In fact, the range of interests and businesses and product types represented (there were nearly 300 people in the group!) was astonishing. And if you don't think an experience like this has anything to offer travel agents, you are dead wrong.

Please understand: I am not saying, "Market on the Internet or die!" There are many successful home-based agents who never go anywhere near the Internet. But consider this: We all have computers and Internet marketing doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, so why not at least investigate the possibilities?

For me, this cruise has already more than paid for itself in the ideas and new information I've picked up. I'll be going again next year, aboard the brand new megaship, the Carnival Dream.
In fact, in subsequent issues of this newsletter, I'll be letting you know how you can participate as well. Perhaps we can even have special home-based travel agent get togethers during the next cruise to discuss the challenges and opportunities peculiar to our niche.