11/08/2019 16:48

Cabins are over

[IMG=18526-4120] Active sales of New Year cruise programs have almost finished. Such estimations were given to BANKO correspondent by representatives of travel companies, specializing on this type of the holidays. If tourists decided to celebrate a New Year on board of a liner, in the beginning of December they will practically have no choice because nearly all cabins are sold. According to experts, the demand on sea holidays grows from year to year in the parallel with the construction new boats. Elena Karmanova, marketing director of cruise centre ‘Neptune’ gives the following data: ‘The annual increase of the world cruise market is 9% while the increase of passenger capacity is 7%. In 2005 Arcadia (P&O Cruises), Norwegian Jewel (Norwegian cruise Line), Carnival Liberty (Carnival Cruise Lines) were produced. In 2006 the following boats are expected: in January Noordam (Holland America Line), in May Freedom of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International), in July - Musica (MSC Cruises) and Costa Concordia (Costa Cruises)’. There is a fashion on cruises all over the world and, thereby, the trend more and more establishes itself in the minds of solvent Russian tourist. It is confirmed by the increased amount of reservation of travel agencies, located in regions. ‘Tourists from Ryazan, Kaluga, Kirov went on holidays, i.e. from cities, that an operator would not consider’, - says Olga Kilimnik, general director of ‘Metropolis-tour’. At the same time winter preferences of Russian cruise lovers are prone to change. If last year it was popular to go on trips to warm Europe, for example, to the Canary islands, this year an interest to exotic programs has increased: trips to ports of South America, cruises around islands of the French Polynesia, to New Zealand and Australia. There is also a demand for routes on Caribbean sea, even in locations where an American visa is needed (a typical travel package, including flight, cruise and holiday in Miami costs $2500). According to specialists, is not improbable that it is connected with visa facilitations from the USA. ‘Sales go well, besides the embassy is loyal to our cruise clients, there is visa refusals’, - explains Daria Evstigneeva, director of the cruise department at ‘Lanta tour voyage’. Clients, who did not have time to book their New Year cruises, operators will advise to go at a later date during vacations or even in springtime and summer. According to specialist, the people learnt to count money, so the American scheme, the earlier the reservation, the more there is a discount (up to 50%), is topical.