The share of cruise bookings made by travel agents took a hit during the pandemic but is projected to bounce back to near prepandemic levels by 2024.
The report, "U.S. Cruise Market Report 2022-2026," by Phocuswright, found agents' share of gross cruise booking fell to 52% in 2021 from 70% in 2019. But the channel's share is in recovery, climbing to 59% last year. Phocuswright projects it to reach 71% by 2026.
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Intermediaries and online travel agencies also saw their gross booking share decrease during the pandemic, falling to 6% last year from 9% in 2019. The report projects its share will also yo-yo back, to 9% by 2026.
Cruise line executives have said during the pandemic that direct bookings strengthened as more people became comfortable making purchases online. The report backs that up: direct online sales to suppliers grew to 15% in 2022 from 10% in 2019.
The reservation and call center channel is also up. That channel nearly doubled during the pandemic, to 20% last year, up from 11% in 2019. But the report suggests that the share for direct online sales and reservation and call centers will resemble prepandemic levels by 2026.
(Phocuswright is owned by Northstar Travel Group, Travel Weekly's parent company.)