On The Deck: Lisa Jacobs

It’s a cruel fact of the market but the bigger the cruise line the more it will hoard the attention of the travel press. Whether it’s Royal Caribbean revealing its latest mega-ship or Carnival opening offices in Singapore –market share dictates column inches. However, what about those clients who want the simpler, more traditional cruise experience? What about those who aren’t afraid of asking for a proudly British product? It’s those companies, which could easily be described as the unsung heroes of the British market, that are holding on to the traditional values of the British cruiser. One such company is Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV). The firm has a tight grip on its particular sector of the market and is a great example of a company fulfilling the requirements of its client. For CMV it’s knowing that profile that has led to its fleet expansions and increased regional departures. We met Lisa Jacobs the newly appointed Head of Retail Sales to find out more.

How have you found the new position?

It is very exciting and a great opportunity to be part of an expanding company. When I joined Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) three years ago from Norwegian Cruise Line, we were getting ready to launch a second ship and now the fleet has expanded to three: Marco Polo, Discovery and, new to the fleet, the very stylish Astor. We have come a long way in a relatively short period of time and I am extremely proud to have been part of the journey thus far. Retail agents are key to CMV’s success and to have a dedicated role as head of retail sales affords me the time to focus on our retail partners and help grow our mutual business. Sales through retail agents are up 15% compared to last year.

How is your relationship with the UK trade?

Our dedicated business development managers and I enjoy meeting agents and discussing ideas on how to grow their cruise business. The recent PSA figures show that the ex-UK market is the growth area along with Norway as a destination, these are a major part of CMV’s business. Due to the fact we cruise from nine regional ports means we have attracted new agents from those areas. In Bristol, Hull, Edinburgh and Newcastle we have been well received and welcomed. We offer enhanced commission levels which is appreciated by our agent partners. I like to get out and about with the role and in the last 12 months I have travelled in excess of 28,000 miles meeting agents and working on promotions.

Why should a travel agent book with CMV?

Apart from having an excellent product with high customer satisfaction levels, we offer strong commission terms of 10% rising to 12.5% once £5,000 has been achieved. Additional earning opportunities exist based on good volume. Our ships are much smaller and more intimate than some other cruise lines therefore agents are encouraged to book their customers earlier and get the cabin they want. We understand that early bookings are important to agents in order to budget their business and therefore we regularly launch exciting campaigns to help drive the sales in early. In our ‘Buy One Get One Half Price’ campaign last summer, which was supported by the trade, we took just under 30% of our overall sales in two months! We offer an extensive programme of ship visits around the country where we welcome agents on board for lunch, overnight –when we can, and of course to cruise with us at a good daily rate. In addition, we have a dedicated sales team to assist our retail partners with promotions and training etc.

Who is the typical CMV passenger?

They are around 65 years of age. Younger in the summer and on our shorter cruises. A large percentage travel within 1.5 hours of the port to. We have very few children because Marco Polo is an adult only ship. Discovery and Astor welcome accompanied children but have no dedicated facilities. We have many first timer cruisers, which is good, and in the last year we have had many people who have previously cruised on more expensive products but enjoyed our varied programme and exciting itineraries.

How was your January been in terms of sales?

January was slightly down year-on-year but we are 80% sold for 2013 so we cannot complain. We took more bookings than ever before last year for this year. Relying on late sales is not smart so increasing the lead time before departure is better for us. Building up expectations for bumper sales in January caught many people out.

What challenges are you currently facing?

With the cruise market flat lining in 2012 coupled with increased capacity, competition remains intense leading to a lot of last minute distress stock. It is a crazy situation to have those lines with four and five star products being sold at a fraction of their value. Fortunately for CMV it is only on a small number of occasions that we have to follow this pattern to clear a few remaining unsold cabins.

Can you tell me what 2013 holds?

I believe that by taking initiatives such as our current ‘Buy one get one half price’ offer on our winter/spring programme, we will see a continued rise in earlier bookings. We are hoping that by promoting the value of our cruises through social media and other promotional avenues we get bookings on value not price alone. A wide range of exciting destinations, from nine regional ports, entertainment, guest speakers and a good variety of shore excursions will continue to be a key reason to book with us. It is unlikely in the current financial climate that the overall cruise market will grow by very much. However our expectations are that ex-UK will remain strong and so will the shorter cruise durations. CMV is ideally placed to meet such challenges.