Baby boom on board

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Regent Seven Seas Cruises is targeting experienced cruisers.

Cruise operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is targeting wealthy baby boomers in the resilient Middle East and Asian travel markets in a bid to escape the global economic slowdown.

As the globe continues to suffer an economic downturn and the resilience of the international travel market remains uncertain, Regent Seven Seas Cruises has unveiled a battle plan that involves strategically targeting high-end expatriate customers in the growing Middle East cruise industry.

"While there are obviously immediate challenges in light of the global economy, the prospects for the luxury cruise market are very healthy, as there are more and more baby boomers retiring each year that are wealthy and wish to travel the world in style and luxury," explains Regent Seven Seas Cruises international account director Blanca-Stella Lanao.

Furthermore, Lanao says that having been "impacted to a certain degree" by the credit crunch, the company is "looking at more resilient markets like the Middle East and Asia, which continue to have strong financial support".

Operating the only all-suite, all-balcony ships in the world - the Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner - the firm claims to attract sophisticated travellers and experienced cruisers, cultured, aged 45-years old and over, affluent, lovers of the arts and philanthropists.

These are the customers that travel agents should be tailoring their cruise marketing towards, says Kanoo Travel country manager UAE and Oman Sunil D-Souza.

"While many people are currently apprehensive about spending, the top-end customers have no problem, they have made their travel plans and they're going," he says.

"This attitude is also shared to some degree by the middle market segment, though they do tend to be slightly more cautious."

D-Souza also observes that another implication of the current financial situation is that fewer expatriates are returning to their home countries. Instead many are opting for a cruise holiday, which combines the hotel stay with sightseeing for a lower cost.

He says that "cruise liners are going to be the choice of the future across the spectrum".

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