For a group travel planner, there’s no better way to be a star–with so little stress–than to book a cruise, says Wayne Peyreau.
Peyreau knows all about the upsides of sailing the seas. He’s regional vice president, sales (U.S.A.) for MSC Cruises, a cruise line that might be new to many Americans but is the number one cruise line in Europe, South America, Southern Africa and the Gulf. The world’s largest privately owned cruise company, MSC sails the Caribbean from Miami and also has cruises from New York.
An uncomplicated way to plan
For a group tour planner, a cruise is an uncomplicated way to offer an inclusive trip. For the traveler, a cruise offers ease and good value as well as freedom, says Peyreau.
“Cruising is self-contained. The stateroom is your hotel. You aren’t looking for dining, there is no motorcoach, the venues and the entertainment are included. You can explore different ports. Once you are on board, you could do everything, or nothing at all. The choice is yours.”
A strikingly inexpensive way to travel in style
That ease, freedom and flexibility, combined with the cost of MSC’s cruises, convinces many planners to give a cruise a try. To illustrate the value of an MSC cruise compared to a land based or motorcoach tour, Peyreau suggests planners roughly tally the costs of their land-based tours–the motorcoach, meals, attractions, hotels, entertainment and then the per person cost of an MSC Cruise. MSC wins! One call, does it all.
A guaranteed group rate motivates
Still, planners can be a little hesitant to commit to a cruise, often because they are nervous about getting the number of bookings required for group rates. That is one reason MSC has instituted a group rate guarantee. “It gives our clients a comfort level,” said Peyreau. “To get our group rate, the minimum is eight state rooms, 16 guests, but if a planner markets the trip and gets only one stateroom, we are not going to adjust that rate up. Doing that helps convince a lot of planners. They can promote with confidence. There’s no going back to travelers to say, ‘I’m sorry this rate was for eight state rooms so I have to adjust your rate.’”
Need help marketing? MSC offers it.
MSC also makes it easy for group leaders to get travelers’ attention. The cruise line offers flyers, videos and other marketing pieces that a planner can easily access and customize to market a specific trip by adding dates, rates and other information. “We have a lot of tools in the toolbox,” said Peyreau.
MSC offers more as it enters new market
MSC Cruises offers 3,7,10-11 night cruises from Miami, with 4 ships, 2 year round and 2 seasonal. Itineraries include the Bahamas, Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean as well as Cuba.
For more information contact Wayne Peyreau at 954-958-3283 or wayne.peyreau@msccruisesusa.com.
