Expedia Cruises’ Eichhorst Talks with Open Jaw’s Slawek (video interview)
The article was published on June 16, 2021 in Open Jaw.
Bigger, Better, Stronger Expedia Cruises’ Booking Data Reflects Pent Up Demand
Not one, but two luxury cruise ship departures sell out in 24 hours. Consumers booking longer sailings, further afield, and in higher categories. These are all markers that cruising demand has never been stronger.
That was the message at “The Time Is Now” Expedia Cruises Conference.
“Almost 70 per cent of the conference attendees said in a pre-conference survey that the industry will be back to 2019 demand levels by the end of 2022, so there is great optimism,” said Matthew Eichhorst, President of Expedia Cruises. “To get there, industry experts have highlighted the importance of data, technology and collaboration as the key to unlocking this growth, and at Expedia Cruises, we are committed to supporting our franchisees, Vacation Consultants and cruise partners throughout that journey.”
Some of the key Expedia data revealed traveller confidence and sales are both increasing. Post-pandemic, cruise travellers are taking longer trips to more exotic destinations, with the average length of cruise bookings jumping from nine days in the first quarter of 2019 to 11 days in the same quarter of 2021, and the average amount of money spent per cabin increasing by over 100 per cent for bookings in the first quarter of 2021 compared with bookings in the same quarter in 2019. It was also found that people are looking to make up for lost time and travel in larger groups, often with their families.
On the heels of these presentations, Eichhorst provided Open Jaw with a one-on-one interview for a Canadian perspective and additional insights into the future of cruising.