Cruise associations provides information and resources for planning and promoting itineraries
By
Jacqui Griffiths |
This article was first published in the Itinerary Planning Special Report International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
Cruise Baltic has launched a new and more user-friendly website, where cruise lines and travel agents can find all the relevant information about the 29 Baltic destinations in the cruise organisation.
For example, travel agents and the cruise lines’ shore excursion departments can find information about the many attractions in the various destinations, including the 35 UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are located in the region. A relatively new addition to the website is the Guest Experience Standards, where cruise lines and travel agents can read about the services in each destination – from the welcome at the pier to the distance to the airport. It is also possible to download destination photographs from the website and cruise lines can use these images in their sales and promotional material for free, provided that they click the ‘copyright free’ button.
Meanwhile, cruise lines’ port operations departments can see detailed port information, which is provided for every single cruise pier. For easy reference, Cruise Baltic lists the standard port fees as well as the prevailing berthing policies for each of the member ports.
The Baltic Sea is a protected sea, and some of the strictest environmental regulations in the world will very soon come into effect there. According to the new regulations, cruise lines will have to discharge all waste while in port. Therefore, the website will also include a full overview of the port reception facilities in the Baltic Sea making it very simple to identify the piers with the required facilities.
“For sustainability reasons, Cruise Baltic does not produce physical brochures anymore,” says Claus Boedker, director of Cruise Baltic. “Instead, we are putting more focus on our website development, so our website includes all the necessary information for cruise lines.”
Several cruise lines are planning their itineraries to fit with local events, and therefore, Cruise Baltic has prepared an event calendar for three years ahead. This means that when a cruise line is designing a cruise itinerary, it is possible to align the schedule with local events so that cruise guests will be able to take part.
“The vision of Cruise Baltic is to create the world’s best cruise experience in the Baltic Sea, and I believe that the new website certainly will assist ports, destinations and cruise lines to achieve this very ambitious target,” adds Boedker.
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