Interest in expedition and themed cruises growing, Allianz research shows
Some 75% of travel agents in a recent Allianz Partners USA survey declared cruise bookings a key driver of their business, with interest in expedition and themed voyages increasing, and the number of multigenerational and solo cruisers on the rise.
When surveyed on cultural-related themed cruises that include immersion and exploration, 35% of travel advisors said they have seen more interest this year than in prior years. Forty-nine percent of advisors have not witnessed a shift in the number of travelers in cruising parties, while more than a quarter (26%) reported more multigenerational groups.
Solo travel has also made some gains with 13% of travel advisors reporting they have seen more solo cruisers than in the past few years, while 12% said there are more couples.
The survey was conducted in October and polled 9,000 travel advisors that offer Allianz travel protection products.
Strong interest in repeat expedition cruising
In other findings, ocean cruises proved the most popular (81%) this past year according to agents, followed by river cruises (16%,) expedition (2%) and themed cruises (1%.) The expedition cruise market is quickly growing in popularity and earning repeat business as most passengers revealed a desire to book another for a future trip.
Cruise driving business
Most travel advisors surveyed say that cruise itineraries are driving the majority of their business, with more than a quarter responding that cruises make up more than 75% of their bookings.
The travel insurance provider analyzed the breakdown of reported travel advisor bookings, tracking the percentage of cruises versus other types of travel to reveal across the board that cruising is a significant driver of bookings. More than 75% of those surveyed indicated that a majority of their bookings were for cruise travel, versus 17% who identified that only 6-25% were cruises and 6% of advisors who said that less than 5% of bookings were cruises.
Booking window changes
Respondents were split on whether the booking window for clients choosing cruises changed this year versus 2022: the majority, 40%, noted the booking window has gotten longer, 36% believed it is consistent with last year and 24% said it has gotten shorter. When asked how soon after purchase the sailings were scheduled to take place, more than half (52%) said within six months to a year, followed by three to six months (27%,) and within three months of purchase (11%.) Those travel advisors with clients booking more than a year in advance comprised just 10% of respondents.
Some 92% of travel advisors felt their customers got peace of mind when they had Allianz Travel Insurance; 82% said they believed clients are more confident about cruising when they have a policy while on board.
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