White Star Cruises launches revamped website
Luxury travel agent White Star Cruises has relaunched its site to become more interactive, with more consumer reviews and a revamped blog.
The WEXAS-owned travel specialist already has 15 pages of luxury cruise consumer reviews on its site, and is looking to treble this by the end of the year - to firmly cement its position at the forefront of the luxury cruise market.
The new site, whitestarcruises.com , is the UK’s only site dedicated to luxury cruise holidays. It’s faster and easier-to-use with improved navigation, new destination maps and features, plus a separate river cruise section.
Sales for river cruise itineraries doubled in 2009 against the previous year, and this trend looks to continue in 2010, according to general manager Scott Anderson.
He said: “River cruising is most definitely growing in popularity. Long gone are the days of three-star older boats plying the Nile, Danube, or Rhine. Today’s modern ships offer five-star accommodation, wonderful amenities and high quality food. Many also include shore excursions and wine with meals, adding to the great value. Sales for river cruises in 2010 have surprised us and show no sign of slowing.”
Special prices and exclusive offers are now in a more prominent position on the new-look site too.
Anderson said: “Working closely with our cruise partners, our special offer pages are among the most popular pages on the site, illustrating that while ticket prices might be high, even at the luxury end of the market, people are looking to make their money stretch as far as possible. Elements such as upgraded cabins, free flights, onboard spending money, and free shore excursions make a big difference when it comes to confirming the sale.”
The site also features luxury cruise news, a cruise blog, and dedicated cruise line pages with full information from the likes of Silversea, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Oceania Cruises, SeaDream Yacht Club and more.
Bucking the trend from last year, when people were booking on average three months in advance, bookings are now coming in for 2011 and even 2012, if itineraries are available.
“People are now booking six months to a year in advance – especially so in the luxury market. The luxury cruiser knows that by booking early they will get the best price and the suite that they want,” said Anderson.
In terms of destinations Alaska and South America are proving extremely popular, closer to home itineraries for the Black Sea and luxury Nile cruises are seeing huge year-on-year growth.
For more information and bookings, visit whitestarcruises.com.