In this context, Travel2latam spoke with Frank Medina, Head of Sales at Norwegian Cruise Line.
What does it mean for you to participate in a new edition of the Showcase?
It's super important. It is a culminating event to meet again with all the travel agents who are many and during the year we do not have enough time to see each other, and the truth is, it is a good time to resume all those relationships, always looking for new opportunities, taking into account which ones They are new databases, trends, what the consumer is looking for, how they ask to book their cruise, etc. This information is important because we continue to grow as a shipping company with our three brands. We have more new ships every year, and the cruise union is very important. At the volume level there are hotels and destinations, but every day cruises grow more rapidly, and therefore we have to be very present to be able to fulfill that consumer demand.
Furthermore, it is important to recognize the differences between shipping companies, because we want the consumer to return happy because they chose the right product. It still surprises me that there are clients who go on a cruise for the first time and arrive fascinated, but 10% board a ship that was not exactly for them. There the travel agent has to realize that there are shipping companies and shipping companies; There are large boats and other medium ones. For example, in the small ones you will not feel overwhelmed by the crowds of passengers and the food is exceptional and even better than being on land. The travel agent has to get to know his client very well so that 10% becomes 1%.
What are the main new features they are going to present?
On behalf of Norwegian, we are promoting the new ship that we opened for sale, the Norwegian Aqua, the third in the Premium Class that we have once again been using to further renew the brand. Aqua is going to be spectacular, slightly larger than the Prima and 10% larger than the Viva. We are taking great care of the passenger capacity with respect to the crew, because we want to maintain a level of personalized service. It also has a larger capacity, and some data that will change at a gastronomic level that we have not announced yet. On the other hand, we have just announced a very successful ship in Miami, with spectacular service, and that is what it is about, that our clients do not get bored and keep them very happy, offering them more destinations, new ports and stopovers, and activities on board innovative.
For the region you drive, what are the most relevant itineraries?
For commercial purposes, Europe continues to be our main destination, the Greek Islands and Istanbul, and everything that is Mediterranean is having a lot of success, and also in northern Europe the cruises to Iceland go very well. Furthermore, in the Caribbean we have many cruise ships, and we are opening more ports in the United States, which are not necessarily very popular for Latin America; while Miami and Port Canaveral are the main ones. Also from San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Norwegian Viva, the newest ship to leave Puerto Rico in the last 15 years, has marketed very well. The Viva cruise from Puerto Rico has 7 nights and every day passes through a different Caribbean island, so if you want to see more of the Caribbean and be on more beaches, this is the right ship.
How is the year going for you?
2023 ended up being the most successful year in history with our brands. All three had significant double-digit growth compared to 2019, which was when we had the most sales successes. So we are very proud that we broke records in 2023 versus that year.