“Sounds like the old Carnival is back!”
That kind of response was music to the ears of Justin French, Managing Director, International Sales for Carnival Cruise Lines, when he last hosted a series of dinners across Canada, the Great White North version of ‘Carnival Conversations.’
French says Canadian agents gave “an overwhelmingly positive response” to Carnival’s attempts to regain the trust and engagement of agents after some difficult times.
“We were challenged,” French says, “but a lot of very positive things have come out of it. Once agents realized that we were really listening, really serious and really making tangible changes, the response from most agents was, ‘We can’t wait to work with you again.’”
French says there’s a new vision for Carnival Cruise Lines, and a new direction for Carnival Corp. overall with the next round of Carnival Conversations underway south of the border and June 12th set as the date for the upcoming Toronto area event. The “Conversation” theme has been expanded to feature product and marketing topics as well as a panel of Carnival executives on hand to share best practices with a view to assisting agents expand their business.
“There’s a fresh new feeling, a new energy, but in many ways we’re just getting back to basics. We’re getting to a place where we’re just trying to do what makes the most sense, and what works the best with our partners. Things are evolving and changing very rapidly, and it feels great.”
Carnival execs met with 10,000 North American agents, through webinars, ship visits, in-person discussions and presentations. “The result has been some very significant changes,” says French.
Here a synopsis of some of Carnival’s pro-agent initiatives:
Paper Please:
“Agents were really missing the traditional brochure piece,” says French. “They see the Carnival Cruise Vacation Guide as a very important tool, so we’ve brought it back.”
Fare Ease:
French admits that Carnival “got complicated” with its fare structure. “It made sense to simplify, and we’ve done that, shifting to just 3 core fares. That’s been a big win, with many agents.
Group Friendly:
French says Carnival has enhanced its affinity group programs, and made Carnival more accessible by opening its groups call centre on weekends. “When agents need to make changes or consult with our group specialists, we’re there,” says French.
Call To Action:
For some time, Carnival.com had been the call to action, and French says that consumers would tend to surf the site and then call an agent. But to travel sellers, the “Call Your Travel Professional” tagline means a great deal. So Carnival reinstated it in its marketing and advertising materials. “From a symbolic point of view, that was a huge thing,” says French.
Wider Window:
Carnival extended the window to transfer direct bookings to agents to 90 days from 30 days. “This way, agents can earn commission and take care of the customer. It’s been a popular move,” says French.
There have been other agent-friendly changes too: enhancements to GoCCL.com, the extension of interline rates to agents, thousands of complimentary cruises so agents can experience the Carnival product improvements, and the empowerment of Carnival staff to resolve more issues at 1st point of contact.
“There was a perception that we had become difficult to work with,” says French. “We’re trying hard to change that. There’s no silver bullet, but with constant improvement, I think we’ll bring a lot of people back. Actions speak louder than words, and I think agents now realize that we’re here to work with you.”
The June 12th Carnival Conversations event will be held at the:
Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Center
8500 Warden Ave
Markham
Arrival time: 11:00am
The Conversation: 11:30am-1:00pm
Lunch: 1:00pm-2:00pm
If you would like to attend... please register here no later than June 5th.
