Direct bookings and the value of a travel agent

We talk this week about how cruise vacations are sold – and by whom. It appears that cruise lines' direct sales have grown during the pandemic. We approached the topic from the travel advisor side and found quite a few reasons why this might be the case, and why advisors don’t seem to be that fazed. On this episode Jackie Friedman, the president of host agency Nexion, talks with Jamie Biesiada, Travel Weekly's senior editor for retail, and host Rebecca Tobin about why cruise lines might be seeing more direct bookings, why travel advisors are still crucial partners, the travel advisor proposition -- and how best to communicate that value to a traveler. This episode was recorded Oct. 25 and has been edited for length and clarity. Related reading Cruise lines’ direct sales keep rising, but travel advisors are unfazed https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Travel-agents-unfazed-rising-direct-cruise-bookings Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings expects a surge in direct bookings https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/NCLH-anticipates-surge-direct-bookings From November 2021: Have cruise sales shifted to direct? CEOs say yes, advisors ponder why https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Have-cruise-sales-shifted-to-direct  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.