Investing in specialization and professional qualification for the sale of maritime cruises is fundamental for the success of a travel agent’s job. With guaranteed performance, the sector offers the best commissions in the market – in Brazil alone, cruises yielded R$ 90 million in commissions – and is still little known in its totality (there are few agencies specialized in our segment.

Because it is extremely complete, the product still arouses many doubts and curiosity in consumers.

And although many travellers are tempted to book their holidays on their own, nothing can replace the benefits that travel agents offer – which can even help the most experienced tourists by presenting them with the best offers, promotions, orientations, warranties, the best itineraries at each time of year, and so on.

According to CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), seven out of every ten travellers (70%) in the world use a travel agent to plan their holidays on a sea cruise.

For this reason, the preparation of this professional is essential: he must identify the profile of the consumer and offer the most appropriate option so as not to frustrate expectations. He needs to know the destinations of the cruises, the seasons in the world, the operators, the ships available, the affordable products and other details that make a difference in the customer’s decision.

You also need to know how the boat’s dynamics work and in what ways the guest can optimise their time on board to take advantage of every space and service.

All that confidence in the allied agent; the comforts on board; the splendid view; the entertainment; the gastronomy; the opportunity to know different cities without the need to unpack or transfer; and the safety of the maritime cruises will make the client make the most of his trip and want to repeat the experience many other times.

It seems too much, but it is not. It is exactly that dedication and complete know-how that will provide an unforgettable experience for the cruise. To facilitate a little what I said so far, I separated seven reasons for a tourist to hire travel agents when buying cruises. You need to study the subject hard and show your customer that you and your company are capable of offering all those requirements and even more!

A cruise encyclopedia: travel agents are trained and certified on cruises in general and help in the choice of products and destinations, which immensely benefits the interested parties.

They must have answers for everything from the right type of boat for the family to the best prepared chefs to serve gluten-free dishes, for example. In addition to helping in the planning of each client at the same time they can resolve any doubts that may arise along the way.

A real business: by preparing and organizing several cruises per week, travel agents should normally be tuned to the pulse of the industry and thus be aware of the best offers and discounts.

Some may even have access to discounts on cruise lines that are not available to consumers. More importantly, there must be no additional cost for the traveler to use a travel agent.

Saving time and money: after searching for the best fares, a travel agent can also make his customers not waste another valuable resource: time. Passengers don’t need to spend hours figuring out the best deals or destinations.

Travel agents need to be extremely experienced, have the most offers and information in real time and do the heavy lifting, whether it’s finding the perfect cabin or planning excursions.

One step ahead: The agent should assist and advise travelers by carefully planning all the details of their trip before boarding.

Thus, instead of worrying about the details of a cruise trip, travelers can enjoy an almost worry-free experience, in which the reservation and all the details were dealt with beforehand.

The ideal resource: travel agents are the best choice when it comes to solving problems or unforeseen events. They can, for example, prevent the traveler from wasting vacation time due to lost luggage, cancelled excursions, travel delays and much more.

A tailor-made trip: A travel agent can create a perfect travel experience based on travelers’ preferences, tastes and expectations. To do this, they must always be provided with the latest information on how to find the right boat, the right itinerary and cabin location to guide cruisers in the right direction.

Real-time updates: travel agents have access to real-time cruise line updates and receive information online. This serves as a compass, informing from new spa offers to changes in the ship’s itinerary.

It also helps travelers get the most out of the latest onboard offers, land excursions or any other last-minute plan.