Shore Excursions Can Bring Income, Loyalty

With the exception of a few high-end cruise lines, cruise companies do not pay a commission on shore excursions.However, when shore excursions are booked through independent ground operators, they can not only be money makers for travel sellers, but they can be a better deal and experience for clients.

Speaking about excursion consolidators, Amber Blecker, ECC, LCS, of a Colorado CruiseOne, told Travel Market Report, “I’ve found they’re good for clients looking to save a bit over the cruise line excursion fare but still wanting more of a ‘group’ experience.” 

She recommends Port Promotions, ShoreTrips and Travel Impressions to her clients, but added that she generally leaves it up to her clients to make their decision and book after she’s offered the advice they’ve asked for.

“I normally recommend ShoreTrips, Port Promotions and the cruise line to my clients for excursions, in that order,” said John Gawne of a Virginia Cruises Inc. “The choice is strictly up to them; the first two pay commission.”

Bill Page, president of All Aboard Cruises & Travel also prefers to use ShoreTrips. “I try to get my cruise customers to use ShoreTrips.com,” he told Travel Market Report, both because the tours are commissionable and because they’re less expensive than what the cruise lines offer.

Both Gawne and Page like the fact that ShoreTrips is a soft sell and easy to use. Agents just need to register with the company, and then they can either put a link to the Web site on their own Web page, or manually enter their clients’ e-mail addresses into their ShoreTrips profile and point clients to ShoreTrips.com. Clients then book their own excursions, at their own pace, and the agent of record gets credit for the sale and a commission.

Port Promotions works similarly. Agents put a Port Promotions banner on their Web site and if their clients book through the link, the agents get a commission.

Answering Client Questions

Some fears may keep clients from booking a non-cruise-offered excursion. First, how do they know the tours are as good; second, how do they know the company will operate within the ships’ prescribed time restraints?

“I’m finding as cruisers become more experienced travelers, in general they are less concerned with that [fears of missing the cruise ship] when using well-established vendors,” Blecker said. Particularly during “routine” port calls in the Caribbean and Alaska, most of Blecker’s clients are comfortable using independent vendors, she added.

Gawne has used ShoreTrips himself. “They use some of the very same vendors the cruise lines excursions use, and are somewhat less expensive than booking through the cruise line.”

Amber Blecker agreed pointing out, “In many cases, their [agents’] clients will be using the same vendor as the cruise ship excursion but cutting out the cruise line middleman, hence a lower price. These companies rely on the cruise ship passengers to stay in business, and therefore use reputable local vendors who will provide a quality experience and safely return the passengers in time for departure.”

The vendors are “very away of the ship schedules,” Gawne said, “and allow refunds in full for ship itinerary changes and weather-related safety considerations.”

Clients Benefit Too

In addition to the commissions they can earn, agents also benefit because they increase their value to clients by offering alternatives to the cruise lines’ mass-market offerings.  This is especially true for clients who have already been to a destination and done the cruise line excursions.

“They are a great alternative for those passengers ready to try independent excursions yet still feel a high degree of security in the arrangements,” Blecker said.

Gawne said he sometimes steers clients to independent excursion providers even if the company doesn’t offer commissions. For instance, in specific destinations like St. Lucia or Barbados, he’ll sometimes put clients in touch with independent vendors as an extra service.

Blecker is a firm believer in the value independent excursions provide to her clients so much so that she has opted not to accept commissions from the individual vendors she recommends to clients.

“I believe I build a better relationship with my client, resulting in a higher number of repeat and referral passengers if they know I put their interest first,” she told Travel Market Report, referring to herself as “a bit of an odd duck.” She added, “I tell my clients that the recommendations I give are solely due to my, or my clients’, experience with a particular vendor, not because of any commission I receive.”

Blecker said her strategy is well-received by her clients and she believes it results in a higher long-term income.

Supplier Chocies

A variety of companies offer commissionable excursions, both for cruise clients, as well as for all-inclusive resort clients who are seeking day trips. Among the companies travel agents can consider using are ShoreTrips, Port Promotions, Island Routes, BahamasForaDay, Travel Impressions, GOGO Worldwide Vacations and Pleasant Holidays. 

ShoreTrips: www.shoretrips.com

Port Promotions: www.portpromotions.com

Island Routes: www.islandroutes.com 

BahamasForaDay: www.ResortForaDay.com; www.BahamasForaDay.com; www.JamaicaForaDay.com

Travel Impressions: www.TravelImpressions.com

Pleasant Holidays: www.Pleasantagent.com

GOGO Worldwide Vacations: www.gogowwv.com