Black
Friday and Cyber Monday deals being rolled out across the travel industry have
come to represent a growing amount of business for travel companies, which
means more of them want in on the deal-driven frenzy.
"In
terms of volume, Black Friday remains the largest sales day of the year for
Gate 1 Travel," said Marty Seslow, vice president of marketing and sales
for the tour operator Gate 1 Travel.
This
is the seventh year that Gate 1 is having a Black Friday sale to jumpstart
sales for the following year, and the company said it has witnessed "significant
growth" in sales each year during this promotional stretch.
Abercrombie
& Kent said it too is seeing a boost in business. Since introducing a Cyber Monday promotion in 2011, A&K says that sales during the week after Thanksgiving have increased each year.
Black
Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has traditionally been a day when retail
stores roll out discounts intended to help motivate holiday shoppers. It is
followed by Cyber Monday, when consumers continue to search for deals online.
The distinction is all but null and void. Now the terms Black Friday and Cyber
Monday simply signify a larger promotional period just before, during and after
Thanksgiving week -- a period that has become increasingly important for
driving revenue in the travel industry.
"Black
Friday and Cyber Monday have become more important -- consumers and retailers
are both looking for deals on all types of products and experiences, including
travel," said Kathy Mayor, senior vice president and chief marketing
officer for Carnival Cruise Line, which teamed up with online retail giant
Amazon this year to offer a pre-Black Friday deal on cruise bookings made
through Amazon.com (the first 1,150 customers who clicked through Carnival's ad
on Amazon and booked a Carnival cruise on Nov. 21-23 received a $50
voice-controlled Amazon Echo Dot).
The
travel industry has spent the last several years working to get a larger slice
of retail spending during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotional period and
their efforts appear to be resonating with customers.
"Our
approach is more aggressive this year," said Lisa Stice, vice president
global online marketing for global hospitality company Benchmark, which
extended its offers from a Cyber Monday event to a four-day sale. "The reason
is because last year the response was so big ... so we decided to offer more
this year."
Lengthening
the promotional period appears to be an approach numerous travel companies took
this year to further capitalize on the Black Friday and Cyber Monday spending
spree.
Royal
Caribbean International, for instance, extended its sale from a one-day event
to a three-day event this year, from Nov. 26-28. And Vicki Freed, the company's
senior vice president of sales, trade service and support, said the company is
seeing greater sales during the Cyber Monday stretch.
"People
who are ready to make purchases now, they are getting a head start on Wave, and
they are getting a great offer," said Freed.
And
while those who have been in the game are starting to see more bookings, others
in the travel industry have decided it's time to join the fray.
For
the first time, Amtrak is offering its customers a Black Friday sale this year,
which will run from Friday, Nov. 25 through Monday, Nov. 28.