A cruise market capped in capacity, with year-round operations, a long-term booking window and strong ticket pricing may seem like a fantasy, but it’s not. It’s the Galapagos, which is seeing an influx of refreshed hardware and strong per diems.
Metropolitan Touring, one of the region’s heavyweights, recently upgraded the Isabella II with a three-week drydocking in May to completely renovate the interior of the ship.
The company’s trio of small ships, the Isabella II, La Pinta and Santa Cruz II are all on a 16-night deployment pattern, with two four-night cruises and a single eight-night cruise making up the 16-night pattern.
“The amount of requests we are getting for eight-night trips (combining the four-night cruises) has quadrupled,” commented Francisco Dousdebes, Galapagos product manager. “We are now aggressively selling the eight-night itineraries. People are researching more than ever, and realizing that four nights might be a bit short.”
While 65 percent of the company’s guests come from the U.S., Dousdebes also noted the UK market was making a strong comeback. Helping the company drive sales has been a new web training platform for agents.
Looking at forward bookings, Dousdebes likes what he sees.
“People are going back to the traditional style of booking with more time in advance,” he said.
Upgraded and better tonnage in the market are also helping drive revenue.
“We see everyone is raising the bar,” continued Dousdebes. “When everyone raises the bar, prices tend to increase, and become more stable, and that is a benefit, and people aren’t finding incredible gaps in pricing.
“Everyone is pushing the bar in better services and accommodations and more activities, it’s stabilizing the whole pricing environment.”
Excerpt from the 2018 Expedition Market Report.
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About the Expedition Market Report:
The 2018 Cruise Industry News Expedition Market Report presents a complete 127-page overview of the entire expedition market, including capacity projections through 2027, and profiles of 30+ major players, with exclusive interviews and insight, along with trends, original data, operational coverage and much more. Original reporting, analysis and research.
