Andrea Zelinski
The month of May is dotted with holidays: Mother's Day, for example, and Memorial Day. They are both a time to stop and reflect on the work and sacrifices other people have made in order for you to thrive.
Another holiday, perhaps less known to the general public but celebrated within the industry, is Travel Advisor Appreciation Day, and it has a similar purpose. Travel advisors play a vital role supporting the success of cruise lines, with projections by Phocuswright signaling they will make up 71% of cruise gross booking share by 2026.
Travel Advisor Appreciation Day was May 1, and it kicked off a series of perks and offers to recognize -- and incentivize -- sellers. Here are a few of the offers available to advisors.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
This luxury cruise line is offering a handful of ways to earn more commissions, plus a free cruise for advisors and shipboard credit for the clients. However, the perks and deadlines vary.
The line's short-term offer enables travel advisors to earn a $100 gift card when booking guests on select European 2024 sailings by May 31. It also will pay advisors a $400 bonus commission on any 2024 voyage after completing a RSSC University course.
Advisors can earn a free cruise on Regent through an extended Sell & Sail incentive that expires June 30. To qualify, travel partners must book three suites between March 6 and June 30 on any of six of its Immersive Overnight itineraries that maximize time in port. Travel advisors who watch the line's Immersive Overnights webinar can also leverage $500 shipboard credit per suite for guests on an Immersive Overnights booking made through June 30.
Royal Caribbean Group
Want to give your social media content a boost? Royal Caribbean Group is offering advisors access to Rallio, a tool offering ready-to-use social media content developed by Royal's in-house trade media team. Posts can be customized, scheduled and shared across all major social media platforms.
The tool is available on CruisingPower.com for Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises in the U.S. and Canada under Sales & Marketing/Social Media page. Advisors can enter to win up to $500 for their co-op marketing when they register for Rallio in May.
Scenic Group
Are there any Swifties in the house? Scenic is gifting two seats to Taylor Swift's Oct. 20 concert in Miami to the advisor who makes the most FIT bookings by June 30. The advisor will also win a three-night hotel stay, round trip airfare for two, a day with Scenic Group's executive team at their headquarters for a peek into cruise planning and a private tour with a gourmet lunch aboard the Scenic Eclipse I. The trip spans from Oct. 20 to Oct. 23.
Each booking for 2024 counts as two entries. Bookings for 2025 and beyond count as one entry each.
Windstar
Advisors who make a new booking or complete the line's online training program will be automatically entered for a chance to win one of four free cruises for themselves and a guest. New bookings for 2024 cruises made in May are worth five entries, while each new booking for 2025 and beyond is worth two entries. Advisors who complete the line's Star Specialist online learning program in May will earn five entries.
In addition to the contest, Windstar is offering a $100 commission bonus for each cabin booked for a new-to-Windstar guest this month.
The line also said it would now pay out commissions 29 days before the cruise departure instead of after departure. Advisors who become Windstar Cruise Star Specialists also have an opportunity to earn back the cruise fare of their eligible fam trip in the form of a future commission payment.