Cruise Bookings Show Solid Growth in 2017, According to Travel Leaders Group Survey

More than 1,000 leisure travel agents from Travel Leaders Group provided insights on client bookings for cruise vacations

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Travel Leaders Group

Feb 28, 2017, 15:40 ET

PLYMOUTH, Minn., Feb. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Travel Leaders Group released its travel survey data specific to the cruise industry, which together with real-time current booking data indicates increased demand among leisure travelers for cruise vacations in 2017. Nearly 87% of travel agent experts who book cruise vacations stated that their 2017 cruise bookings are equal to or higher than the previous year, and more than 84% of those surveyed said their Mediterranean cruise bookings have increased or on are par, year-over-year. Actual booking data corroborates the survey results with year-over-year increases of eight percent or more charted for key cruise segments.

According to the survey results, Western Caribbean cruises are the most popular itinerary being booked, followed by Alaska cruises, Eastern Caribbean cruises, European river cruises and Mediterranean cruises, respectively. This survey data is based on responses from 1,062 Travel Leaders Group travel agent experts who book cruise vacations for their clientele.

"Cruise bookings for 2017 have been on the upswing since last year, and a substantial percentage of our travel agents' leisure bookings are in this crucial segment. In fact, our latest data show a 10 percent increase in year-over-year revenue for luxury cruise bookings, and premium cruise bookings are trending higher by eight percent," stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Ninan Chacko. "Our travel agents are continuously educating themselves – by firsthand experience and in-depth supplier training – to ensure they're matching the right cruise line, ship and itinerary with each individual client's expressed needs. While it requires a significant investment of their time, the benefit is how they have established themselves as trusted resources for creating the ideal getaways for their clients."

Based on Travel Leaders Group's 2017 Travel Trends Survey, these are the top cruise itineraries being booked by its travel agents specializing in cruises:

1	Caribbean – Western
2	Alaska
3	Caribbean – Eastern
4	Europe – River Cruise
5	Europe – Mediterranean
6	Caribbean – Southern
7	Panama Canal
8 (tie)	Mexican Riviera
8 (tie)	Hawaii
10	Europe – Baltic

"The allure of a Caribbean cruise is undeniable for millions of Americans. However, what's truly impressive is the tremendous growth, over the past 24 months, in Alaska cruises. Consumer demand has been nothing short of phenomenal," said John Lovell, CTC, President of Travel Leaders Network and Leisure Group. "Within Travel Leaders Network, we have nearly 850 travel agents who are specialists in Alaska cruises alone. Their expertise, coupled with cruise lines keeping up with the increased demand by deploying more ships, has allowed a record number of travelers to experience the breathtaking wonder of 'The Last Frontier.'"

Overall Year-Over-Year Cruise Bookings:
When asked to compare their overall 2017 cruise bookings to the same time one year ago, 86.4% of survey respondents stated bookings were higher than or the same as the year before (44.7% said "Higher" while 41.7% stated "They're even").

Mediterranean Cruise Bookings:
Specifically related to 2017 Mediterranean cruise bookings, 84.5% of those polled indicated their bookings were even or higher than the previous year (39.8% said "Higher" while 44.7% stated "They're even").

Also, Travel Leaders Group travel agents who book Mediterranean cruises were asked to identify the top itineraries their clients are selecting for Mediterranean cruises this year. Those polled could select up to three itineraries, and the top responses included:

1	Barcelona to Rome	25.4%
2	Barcelona Roundtrip	25.1%
3	Rome Roundtrip	21.9%
4	Rome to Barcelona	14.2%
5	Rome to Venice	13.1%

European River Cruises:
When Travel Leaders Group travel agents were asked to compare their overall European river cruise bookings, 78.2% stated they were on par with or higher than the previous year (34.3% said "Higher" while 43.9% stated "They're even").

These trends are part of a comprehensive travel trends survey of 1,689 U.S.-based travel agents from Travel Leaders Group's flagship Travel Leaders brand and All Aboard Travel, Cruise Specialists, Nexion, Protravel International, Travel Leaders Corporate, Travel Leaders Network, and Tzell Travel Group. Results from Travel Leaders Group's 2017 Travel Trends Survey are here.

Travel Leaders Group is one of North America's largest travel companies – encompassing nearly one-third of all travel agents – and generates gross travel sales of approximately $21 billion. Travel Leaders Group is a leader in both the retail travel agency space and corporate travel, and it consistently ranks as one of the top travel companies nationwide.

About Travel Leaders Group
Travel Leaders Group (www.travelleadersgroup.com) is transforming travel with a commitment to our vacation and business travel clients via our progressive approach toward each unique travel experience. Having already assisted millions of travelers – through our beginnings as Carlson Leisure Group, a division of Carlson Companies, TraveLeaders and Tzell Travel Group and through the additions of Nexion, Vacation.com and Protravel International – Travel Leaders Group manages leisure, business and franchise travel operations under a variety of diversified divisions and brands. With annual sales approaching $21 billion through over 7,000 locations, Travel Leaders Group ranks as one of the industry's largest traditional travel agency companies.