Page 10 - CIN 2019 European Report
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}MAJOR MARKETS
Marella’s fleet will be
all-inclusive come 2019.
UK MARKET
All-Inclusive Gaining Traction
THE UK’s cruise market is going from strength-to-strength “There are some broader trends and
with bargain hungry Brits boosting the all-inclusive package we are seeing huge growth in the area
concept. of expedition cruises.”
Phil Evans, the founder and owner of Cruise Nation, said plain the experiences, the more interest we see,” Mills said.
there is also a trend in the overall marketplace for long-haul “Outside the cruising market, all-inclusive holidays are very
products, which are “massively up over last year.” popular and the cruise market looks like it’s joining this sector
in some way.”
Evans told Cruise Industry News: “Consumers want great
value for money, and while free drinks packages represent the He added that the cruise lines have committed to offering
best value in most cases, customers who do not drink are often ever better value in recent years and packages are effectively
left at a disadvantage, therefore it is important to give custom- close to the final holiday costs outside the sector with guests
ers choices.” not having to spend much once they are on board.
Online agency Iglu’s commercial product director, Dave All-inclusive packages can include shore excursions and,
Mills, is upbeat about the fortunes for the UK market and ex- even if they are not included, Mills said that cruise lines are
plained that the market has moved away from a purely price- working hard to offer immersive, once-in-a-lifetime experi-
driven sector with cruise lines now increasingly offering a ences, which can still be very good value for money.
more all-inclusive product and having a lot more to do onboard
which is, more often than not, included in the price. This big trend for packages is also being reported by Marella
Cruises, which will transform itself into an all-inclusive brand
All-Inclusive starting next year.
“These all-inclusive packages are so popular right now. The
more you have included and the more time you have to ex-
72 Cruise Industry News: 2019 European Regional Report
