The number of packages sold for cruise ship holidays increased by around 50% last year, and reached 3,000.
Although the price of a cruise can reach 27,000 euros, travel agencies believe a significant growth rate will also be posted this year, after cruises became players' star travel offers.
"Cruises are the most complex travel products and have the best quality/price ratio. I believe that between 2,000 and 3,000 such products were sold last year on the entire market, and we managed to sell around 800 cruises, up 40% on the previous year. I believe the market growth rate will be somewhere around 50-60% this year," says Nicolae Demetriade, general manager of Happy Tour travel agency, the largest domestic operator.
According to him, the starting price for a cruise stands at 1,000 euros per person, which include 7 days on a five-star ship. "Reservations for a cruise are sometimes made a year before in the case of special occasions, such as the New Year's Eve" says Demetriade. According to other players, for the rest of the year reservations are often made around two months in advance. This year, Happy Tour forecasts turnover worth 56.2m euros, alongside net income worth 2.5m euros. Last year, the firm posted turnover worth 45 million euros. The current popularity of this form of holiday has persuaded several agencies to include new destinations in their offers. "Starting this season, we will introduce a larger number of cruises in our offer (...)," says Claudia Stan, marketing manager of Aerotravel Lufthansa City Center.
Apart from individuals who choose this type of holiday, cruises have become a motivation tool for many companies. As a result, some firms prefer to rent cruise ships to reward their employees for good performances.
Aerotravel forecasts turnover worth 37m euros this year, a 23% increase on the 30m euros registered last year. According to the representatives of J'Info Tours, the minimum prices for a cruise range between 400-1,000 euros, while maximum prices can reach as much as 27,000 euros. Last year, the company derived turnover worth 29 million euros and forecasts a 25% growth rate for this year.
However, the product that boasts the highest growth rate in travel agencies' portfolios are holidays in destinations that are covered by low-cost flights, says Cristina Irimia, marketing manager of J'Info Tours.
Charter flights have been one of the most important drivers for the travel industry. Last year, tourism receipts amounted to 1.068 billion euros, 34m euros higher than in 2006, while Romanians spent 1.1 billion euros on holidays abroad, 66 million euros above the level posted in 2006.
Therefore, the deficit for 2007 stands at 33m euros, which is significantly wider than the one million euros registered in 2006.
Cruise ship holidays
Starting price: 400-1,000 euros per person, but can reach 27,000 euros
Early reservations are necessary - for New Year's Eve on board a cruise liner, reservations are sometimes made one year ahead, but normally reservations are made two months in advance
An around 60% growth in demand this year
The market increased by 30%-40% in 2007 year-on-year
Some firms use cruises to reward and motivate employees
Around 3,000 people opted for cruises in 2007
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