Do you have clients who are a good fit for premium or luxury cruise lines? Try selling them on a trip to Asia or South America.
That’s where Travelsavers and NEST are seeing big bumps in cruising, according to a report from parent company American Marketing Group (AMG) that comes as Wave season closes out for the year.
Premium cruise line sales across the board did particularly well for Travelsavers and NEST. Overall, sales were up 25% compared with the same time last year.
And clients seem particularly drawn to less-typical itineraries, according to AMG. Premium cruise bookings to Asia were up a whopping 123% from the same time last year. Canada and New England itineraries and South America sailings weren’t far behind, with bookings up 93% and 90%, respectively.
Luxury cruise sales to Asia were up 65%, too.
More typical destinations, like the Caribbean, Alaska and Europe, have also seen increases, AMG noted.
Cruising overall remains popular. As Wave closes, AMG said, contemporary cruise bookings were up 15%, expedition cruises were up 14% and luxury cruises were up 13.5%.
Nicole Mazza, Travelsavers’ chief marketing officer, said the public’s appetite for cruising right now stems from its value.
“Special offers, shipboard credits and other inclusions are encouraging large numbers of consumers to convert into cruisers,” Mazza said.
AMG isn’t the only one seeing strong Wave numbers.
Last Wednesday, Carnival Corp. said new cruisers are up 30%. Revenue and booking volume were at record levels, the company reported.
Things are looking positive moving forward, as well. AMG said bookings for 2025 sailings are already up 30% compared to bookings this time last year for 2024 sailings.
Carnival, too, reported record booking volume for 2025 and 2026 departures.