Travel Agents See More Guests Choose Tours over Cruising

While cruising has always been king, the seesaw of sea-to-land-and-back-again is bringing vacationers back to land-based tours, many travel agents say.

The numbers don’t suggest any significant movement away from cruising; Cruise Market Watch reports that the number of people taking cruises increased from 18 million in 2010 to 22.5 million in 2015 and is expected to reach over 25 million in 2019. But tour operators do say they are seeing many former cruisers who, after a peek into a city or region, come back looking for more.

‘It happens organically’
While many still are attracted to the cruise lifestyle—the ship, the service, the dining—their introduction to many new destinations makes them want to explore more intensively.

“I don’t think most people intentionally set out to use cruises as a survey tool, but I do believe it happens organically,” said Jeff Clarke, president of Travel Impressions, based in New York.

Clarke comes from the cruise industry and still sees cruising as “a great way to experience a broad overview of a region.” But he also recognizes that it comes with some disadvantages.

“The downside is that passengers often feel that the excursion format only serves to whet their appetite, but may not fully satisfy it if they develop an interest for a culture they weren’t previously exposed to,” he said.

Steve Born, vice president of marketing at Globus Family of Brands, sees the same thing happening with Globus customers. About a third of those who cruise each year “want to get off the ship and move onto land,” he said.

He attributes it to the traveler’s longing for a different kind of experience. “There’s a drive for authenticity, to do things rather than see things, and nothing does that like a land vacation,” he said.

Different options for different clients
Travel agents shouldn’t hesitate to sell one versus the other, said Manny Paulo, a senior product manager at Collette. Because the two offer such a different experience, an agent’s job is to determine the type of trip for which their client is best suited.

“If you really want to experience the destination and the culture, to meet the locals, then single-hotel stays or multiple-night stays are definitely the way to go,” he said. “People go on ocean cruises, they rave about the ships, all the different restaurants, how big the ships are…but if you’re looking for the experiences and the cultural immersion, then tours are the way to go.”

For Paulo, there are pros and cons to both, but choosing touring over cruising means that clients get a larger taste of the culture of their chosen destination.

“It’s up to the clients. It’s more of a questions of do you just want to sit back and read a book and eat, drink, and be merry? Or are you the one that wants to travel to experience…clients who want to eat, to feel, to touch, and to see.”
For instance, he said, travelers going to Spain on a cruise might get a stop in Barcelona and Madrid, but chances are they won’t have a chance to visit the wine-producing region or see the Salvador Dali museum in Catalonia.

“That is the great thing about land excursions and single hotel stays. Travelers get to experience excursions to the outskirts of cities,” he said.

“I absolutely agree” said Lynda Reich, president of Master Travel and Cruises, a TRAVELSAVERS agency in Wellington, FL. “I have clients that are very comfortable with cruises but they also like to see a country in depth. They get a taste and it gives them a desire to see more.”

Pic: ProtoplasmaKid