[THURS POSS]Internet cruise bookings topping out at 20%?
At least one travel agent who sells the product thinks cruise line bookings by individuals via the internet are reaching their peak. Charlie Funk told TravelMole: “Carnival Cruise Lines is probably the leader in the number of direct bookings. My gut sense is they take 17 or 18%. I think that any cruise line is going to top out at 20%.” Mr Funk, who with his wife, Sherri, owns Just Cruisin’ Plus, thinks cruise bookings in the future will remain complicated enough so that the vast majority of bookings will continue to come from agents. Does Mr Funk think cruise lines in the future will want to employ their own booking agents? “The fact is the cruise lines will tell you, and anybody who wants to listen, that they don’t want to go to direct bookings,” he said. “I think people are going to understand that if they call, say Royal Caribbean, they’re only going to get information about them. I see people realizing that if they want a realistic and good comparison, they need to call somebody who is objective such as an agent,” he added. Just Cruisin’ used to do only cruises but went full service more than a decade ago, though 75% of its bookings remain in cruising. The Nashville-based agency is among the top ten in bookings in Tennessee, Mr Funk said. Report by David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt