The Islands of The Bahamas was well represented at the Cruise Lines International Association's Cruise360 2017 Conference and Trade Show, which recently took place at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center, Florida.
At Cruise360, The Bahamas was able to connect with top-notch travel agents, cruise line executives and industry representatives during the week of networking events, educational workshops and trade show exhibition.
Florida-based Director for Cruise & Maritime Development, Glenda Johnson, seized the opportunity during The Bahamas workshop to update agents on the new tourism products at the destination; saying “it’s crucial to educate agents so that they can better sell to their clients”.
The message continued to reverberate during the trade show that followed as The Bahamas and some 80 exhibitors provided 1,000 travel agents with collateral, answered questions and uncovered potential business opportunities. Cruise360 is the annual signature event of CLIA bringing together agents and suppliers and, with 25,000 global travel agent members and 15,000 global travel agency members, CLIA is the world's largest cruise industry trade association.
The cruise industry has surpassed 2016 ocean cruise passenger projections, reaching 24.7million cruise passengers globally up from a projection of 24.2 million. 2017 promises to be another stellar year of growth with a passenger forecast of 25.8 million. And it’s all due to the importance of travel agents in the selling process.
According to the cruise industry, 72% of cruise sales are generated by travel agents worldwide, and in the luxury cruise segment 93% of worldwide cruise sales are generated by travel agents. The demand for cruising grew 62% over the past 2 years, and 8 of 10 agents in the U.S. expect sales to increase in 2017.
For further information on The Islands Of The Bahamas, contact Glenda Johnson at gjohnson@bahamas.com
The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone from Nassau and Paradise Island to Grand Bahama to The Abaco Islands, The Exuma Islands, Harbour Island, Long Island and others. Each island has its own personality and attractions for a variety of vacation styles with some of the world’s best scuba diving, fishing, sailing, boating, as well as, shopping and dining. The destination offers an easily accessible tropical getaway from the Port of Miami, Port Everglades and Port Canaveral, and the Bahamian dollar is on par with the U.S. dollar. Do everything or do nothing; just remember It’s Better in The Bahamas. For more information, call 1-800-Bahamas or visit www.Bahamas.com. Look for The Bahamas on the web on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Jeannie Gibson
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
