Since Norwegian Cruise Line announced it would pay travel advisers commission on previously non-commissionable fees (NCFs), the line has had the best three weeks of sales in its history. This is according to NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer.
NCFs are the portions of a cruise fare that are bundled with the cruise fare but are usually non-commissionable. They comprise items like gratuities and port fees.
"We’re not about cost control; we’re not about pinching pennies," Sommer said. “We're about demand generation, which we believe leads to the highest revenue, which leads to the highest commission.”
in November, NCL's sales looked similar to the same period in 2019, according to Travel Agent Central. "That is a huge improvement over what we see over the early part of the year, where some of our trade partners still had furloughed employees and were bringing them back," Sommer added.
Speaking on the line’s forecast for the future, Sommer says that the four ships sailing in the Canary Islands, South Africa, South America, and Australia this festive season will not be 100% full due to longer lead booking times and some dwindling wariness from travellers about international travel.
However, from April 2023, he expects the same ships to be operating at full capacity.
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<CAPTION: NCL CEO, Harry Sommer.>
