Prevue: What trends are you seeing in the use of cruise lines for incentive trips, and how are these shaping the industry?
Maltais: The biggest trend we are seeing is a stronger focus on delivering highly sought after rewards that drive performance in and retention of their most valuable assets, their people. Incentive travel with Virgin Voyages delivers rewards that have a much higher perceived value to the recipient than the ultimate bottom line to the organization. When you take our strategy of always including luxuries in our pricing such as gratuities and tips, voyage-long Wi-Fi, all dining including our 6 award winning Michelin star collective-driven concept restaurants, group fitness classes and essential beverages that includes soft drinks, our value proposition is second to none when reviewed with the competitive set.
What advice would you give planners considering incorporating cruise-based incentive programs into their offerings for the first time?
I would advise them to have an open mind to cruise based options for their incentive programs. If they are not avid cruisers, I would encourage them to take the opportunity to voyage with us versus other competitors. With world class hardware, award winning dining, entertainment and unforgettable customer experiences at your finger tips—our biggest obstacle is a simple lack of awareness. Once you understand how amazing our modern, exclusively kid-free voyaging looks, you will be able to effectively communicate that to potential clients over other lines or all-inclusive resorts.
What are the key benefits of using a cruise line for incentive trips compared to traditional resort-based programs?
The experience for the planner and attendees is much more turn key with Virgin Voyages than it would be at a traditional resort-based program. Accommodations, dining, entertainment and more are handled by our Operations team pre-voyage and then executed by our onboard Group Managers and their teams once you arrive. That higher touch point of service gives planners their time back to invest it into other projects. In addition, the value we build into our up front pricing (like tips and Wi-Fi) combined with our exclusively adult environment creates a feeling that much more closely mirrors an all-inclusive land based resort.
