Agents Want More From Carnival

Carnival’s announcement that it will add a “travel professional” call to action to some of its TV ads in the upcoming season could signal a positive change in the cruise line’s fraught relationship with the travel agent community.

Many agents reacted favorably to the news, saying it shows good faith as Carnival works to repair its image. But others said Carnival still has a steep climb before it rebuilds trust with retail travel sellers.

The travel agent call-to-action will appear at the end of Carnival’s 30-second TV ads, either spoken or visually: “Contact a travel professional, Carnival.com or 1 (800) Carnival.” A longer version of the ad will not feature the call to action, however, ending instead with the Carnival logo.

Back to the table?
“There is no question Carnival has made a number of choices that have placed them in what appears to be an agent-unfriendly position,” said Scott Koepf, vice president of sales at Avoya Travel. “Obviously, they have come back to the table to discuss a renewed vision of the distribution channel relationship.

“Acknowledging the travel professional is extremely valuable and is a great move, regardless of the brand,” said Koepf. “In Carnival’s case, it gives the additional hope that there is more to come.”

Many in the industry credit Bob Dickinson with Carnival’s apparent decision to rebuild its travel agency distribution channel. In June, Carnival brought back its former president and CEO to serve as a consultant. Dickinson is widely known to be pro-agent.

‘A great move’
Carnival’s announcement that it is bringing back the call to action has led agents to wonder why the line dropped the language to begin with.

Carnival dropped the travel agent call to action back in 2010; the line would not comment on why.

“An agent call to action has had a long history of being included in the cruise industry, but Carnival had stopped doing it,” said Andi McClure-Mysza, co-president of Montrose Travel and president of MTravel.

As for the decision to reinstate the call to action, she said, “they’ve put agents through the wringer lately, and now they want them back.”

“Carnival’s goal is to fill their ships with the highest fares and per diems, and we like that since our commissions are higher,” said McClure-Mysza. “They’ve had to discount so severely since [the Carnival Triumph incident], and now they’re trying to resolve their PR nightmare.”

What’s next?
Questions remain about what else Carnival might do to appease travel agents.

“It’s great that they are out there listening, but it has to show up in exactly what will change,” said Koepf. “Because they’re the largest line in the world, we are all looking to see what decisions they will make.”

According to its latest financial statement, Carnival’s revenue has dipped slightly compared to this time last year. Could an increase in bookings, from better cooperation with the travel agency community, help both Carnival and agents alike?

A stronger Carnival will be good for the cruise industry, said McClure-Mysza, and even miffed agents have a stake in the company’s recovery.

“You want companies to succeed, and we want to have strong working relationships with our large partners in the industry,” said McClure-Mysza. “They’re in the midst of trying to build trust, but time will tell whether they’re sincere in their efforts to change.”

Repairing a reputation
Deep distrust was apparent in the reaction of many agents to Carnival’s latest travel agency initiatives.

“I think the agents who sold a lot of Carnival felt betrayed; they really took the Carnival thing personally,” said a Vacation.com agent who asked not to be quoted by name.

“[The call to action is] the first bone thrown to us,” she continued. “It shows what happens to vendors that try to go away from the normal booking channels and then hit a bump in the road.”

“In a way this is good for the industry because it tells all vendors to ignore us at their own peril.”