CLIA: Shore tours key to building repeat cruise business

Is a shore excursion reason enough to take a cruise?

Is a shore excursion reason enough to take a cruise? Just maybe, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) says in a new briefing on shore excursions that may be a key to building repeat business. In order to continually provide new experiences for the large number of cruisers who keep coming back for more, and, equally important, to capture the attention of those who have never cruised before, CLIA reports that member cruise lines are doing everything they can to make the answer to that question โ€œYes.โ€

The result is an ever-expanding menu of often exclusive or even private, innovative shoreside activities that range from a few hours to several days in some of the most famous, beautiful or extraordinary places on earth. Unlike traditional half-day city tours, todayโ€™s most exciting excursions “offer travelers ways to pursue favorite interests and activities in new settings, satisfy life-long curiosities and dreams, enrich the intellectual or spiritual life, encounter nature in wonderful ways, and even indulge in fantasies,โ€ CLIA says in a message to its 16,00 agent members.

Terry Dale, CLIAโ€™s president and CEO, said, “The member lines of CLIA enjoy the highest rates of repeat business in the travel industry but they also have a huge untapped market of vacationers that have never realized that they can pursue what they love doing most on a cruise. Creative, unusual land programs, from short shore excursions to overland adventures that may last several days, keep loyal returning customers happy and intrigue non-cruisers, helping to motivate them to give it a try.

โ€œThe common denominator for both groups,” Dale adds, “is the indisputable ‘wow’ surprise factor: many of these shoreside opportunities are truly astonishing.โ€

To support its case CLIA offers many examples of shore excursions offered by member lines:

Sports
Golf at some of the most famous clubs in the world is par for the course on many cruises but, by picking the right itinerary, travelers can also live out their ultimate fantasy whether it be driving Maseratis, Lamborghinis or Ferraris on the French Riviera, high-speed ocean yacht racing, or a 4×4 mountain rally at the Rally Club of Barga near Florence. Other extreme options include scuba diving in Turkey, mountain biking in the Canary Islands, snorkeling in Alaska, hot-air ballooning in Stockholm or Paris, snowmobiling and dog sledding under the Northern Lights.

Slightly tamer but definitely unusual active excursions include biking on top of the ancient walls of Lucca in Tuscany, one of Europeโ€™s best preserved cities, and walking across the rooftops of Stockholm. On some South American cruise itineraries, guests may opt for a canopy ride across Chileโ€™s Osorno Volcano, and, in the Caribbean, explore the island of Cozumel by Scoot Coupe, the miniature, three-wheeled convertible.

For those passengers who prefer sports of the spectator variety, there are cruises that feature excursions to some of the worldโ€™s greatest events, including the British Open golf tournament, Wimbledon tennis, the Monaco Grand Prix and others.

Culinary

Dining is a highlight of any cruise, with some ships offering more than a dozen options featuring food from around the world. But shore excursions also provide an opportunity to explore local cuisines and culinary traditions in unique ways, often in very intimate settings. Off the coast of Africa, for example, cruise passengers may enjoy traditional grilled octopus in the Seychelles Islands. In Spain, cruise guests can sample caviar and learn how it is produced. In Italy, a traditional farmhouse is the setting for dining and wine tasting with the Tuscan Cooking School. Cooking classes with an Italian countess in Venice or a typical Ligurian seafood lunch on a small boat in the Italian Riviera are other options. The wines of the Danubeโ€™s Wachau Valley in Austria are featured in a special dinner and wine tasting on a river cruise, and visitors to the Adriatic can sample traditional cooking during a home-hosted lunch in Croatia.

Personalized Culture and World Heritage Sites
In addition to the popular group sightseeing excursions offered on most itineraries, todayโ€™s cruise guests have numerous other options, including private tours of all kinds and opportunities to enjoy a unique, personal perspective on some of the worldโ€™s great cultural landmarks, CLIA reports. There are private visits, for example, to such iconic places as the Dogeโ€™s Palace in Venice, and a backstage tour at the Monte Carlo Ballet. The famous Edinburgh military tattoo is a feature of some UK itineraries and, half a world away, cruise passengers can explore the tunnels of the DMZ dividing North and South Korea.

The worldโ€™s largest collection of Viking rune stones and Norwayโ€™s Stone Age settlements are featured on some Scandinavian cruise itineraries and, among the more than 100 World Heritage Sites featured on cruise itineraries are the Temple of Borobudur, Kakadu National Park in Australiaโ€™s Northern Territory, and the Galapagos Islands.

Among the natural wonders of the world that are featured on cruise shore excursions are the elephants, rhinos and buffalo of Kapama Private Game Reserve; the whales, bears, sea eagles and glaciers of Alaska; the unique landscapes of Antarctica; the Chilean fjords and many others.

Family Fun
CLIA says that no vacation offers more for families and kids than a cruise, in part because of shore excursions designed to be fun for all ages. What could be more exciting, and different, than bobsledding in the Jamaican rainforest, riding the Magical Flying Beach Chair from the cruise terminal in Roatan to Mahogany Beach, or body boarding on the flow rider in Grand Turk?

Examples of other family-oriented excursions include the โ€œIn the Steps of the Beatles Tourโ€ in Liverpool, England, a treasure hunt in Tunis, a lobstering and fishing expedition in Downeast Maine, and even a gala ball at the Catherine Palace in St. Petersburg, complete with Disney princesses.

About the author

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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