CRUISE stakeholders are pouring their resources into education and training, saying this is what Asia needs in order for the industry to take off.
Asia Cruise Association (ACA) chairman Rama Rebbapragada said the body had “identified cruise training as one of its cornerstone activities”, launching its first training programme for travel consultants at the 24th International Travel Expo in Hong Kong last June.
ACA has since worked with Seatrade and the China Cruise & Yacht Industry Association to conduct a number of training sessions over the past year, and is also partnering UBM to do the same at this year’s Cruise Shipping Asia.
“It is through training programmes that we can enhance cruise product knowledge within our distribution network and broaden our outreach in this market,” said Rebbapragada, adding that ACA had trained more than 400 travel consultants so far, and was working towards a goal of training “thousands every year”.
Silversea Cruises senior vice president, UK, Europe & Asia-Pacific, Steve Odell, said besides supporting ACA’s work, it would also launch its own online academy in Asia by next year, in addition to the training seminars, ship showcases and fam trips it already invests in. The training would also incorporate an incentive component based on booking results.
Other cruise heavyweights which already have their own online institutions in the region include Costa Cruises—which has separate B2B online training portals for Japanese and South Korean travel consultants, and Holland America Line (HAL)—whose online academy, which conducts courses in English, has seen about 13,000 graduates to date. HAL’s high-end sister brand, Seabourn, will also be rolling out an online academy over the next few months.
According to Richard Meadows, executive vice president of marketing, sales & guest programs, HAL and president, Seabourn, travel consultants who have undergone the training curriculum will be more effective in terms of their sales pitch and identifying target customers.
“We have to do a better job of helping the travel trade to understand the USPs of both our brands. It is very difficult for a travel consultant to discover for himself what sets apart the different product offerings without proper training,” he explained.
Besides the various training programmes on offer, Asia’s cruise ecosystem has also received a boost, with cruise terminal operators officially launching the seven-member Asia Cruise Terminal Association earlier this week, creating a platform for sharing of best practices and training.
Separately, the Singapore Cruise Centre is partnering the Institute of Technical Education to develop Singapore’s first Maritime Passenger Service course to build a healthy pipeline of human resource. An MoU will be signed today, with the curriculum commencing next April.
Additional reporting from Brian Higgs
