For the first time in five years, Carnival Cruise Lines will offer travel agents a printed fleet brochure to use in their sales and marketing materials.
The new brochure, which will be available prior to the 2014 Wave Season, comes as a result of feedback from travel agents during various Carnival Conversations events, as well as more specific feedback received from the line’s recent Quarterly Travel Agent Survey.
“Travel agents have told us loud and clear that they want a printed brochure to use for sales and marketing purposes and we’re thrilled to introduce one that is customized with the information that matters most to them,” said Mike Julius, Carnival’s senior managing director of U.S. trade sales.
“We greatly appreciate the valuable input we received from travel agents through our quarterly survey and we’re putting that feedback directly to work in the form of this new brochure.”
More than 1,700 travel agents responded to the on-line survey, which was comprised of 63 questions related to overall trade relations, pricing and specific needs in a brochure. Travel agents were asked to rank 31 items that they would be interested in seeing within a printed brochure. Items agents listed of top importance, in order of priority, included:
• Detailed itineraries by destination
• Message to consumers regarding the value of using a travel agent
• Deck plans
• Ship overviews and onboard highlights
• Stateroom descriptions and diagrams
• Information on family programming and activities
• Guest FAQ regarding dining, dress code, documentation and more
• Stateroom photos
• An At-a-Glance Ship Deployment Grid featuring information organized according to region, itinerary and season
Carnival’s new brochure will feature all items listed in agents’ top priority list.
Travel agents may pre-order the new brochure beginning Nov. 15 and initial orders will ship prior to Jan. 1 to prepare agents for Wave Season. Orders may be placed on the line’s travel agent Internet portal, www.GoCCL.com.
