Exclusive with RCL’s new vice president, Susan Bonner: “We are not all just the same big white ships”

Exclusive with RCL’s new vice president, Susan Bonner: “We are not all just the same big white ships”
By Alexandra Coulton


Royal Carribean’s new vice president and managing director for Australia and New Zealand, Susan Bonner has only been in her new role for less than two months but she’s already making waves.

Please excuse that awful pun, but we couldn’t resist.

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We caught up with Bonner to talk all things cruising in the Australian market and how agents can maximise their cruise selling potential.

Bonner came to Australia from RCL’s Miami office, where she served as Vice President of Celebrity Cruises’ Revenue Management and Onboard Revenue. She told us she was drawn to her new role by the significant growth the APAC market is experiencing.

“Australia continues to experience incredible growth in the cruising sector, maintaining the highest market penetration in the world at 5.7 per cent,” Bonner told Travel Weekly.

“There is enormous opportunity to grow and strengthen the position of our three brands in the minds of Australians – Royal Caribbean is known for adventure, world-class entertainment and dining, Celebrity Cruises for its sophisticated design, premium cuisine and accommodation, and Azamara Club Cruises for its intimate, boutique luxury ships that make the destination the star of the show.”

According to Bonner, despite Australia having the highest market penetration in the world for cruising, agents still have some work to do communicating the value of a cruise holiday to Australians, and the monumental range of features on offer. 

“We are not all just the same big white ships,” she said. 

“Many of our critics have never been on a ship before, and just have an idea in their head of what cruising is all about. We want to turn these myths and misconceptions on their head.”

Another barrier to growth for the cruise industry in Australia is port development, particularly in Sydney.

“Sydney needs a new modern cruise terminal.”

“As the cruise capital of Australia, ensuring Sydney can accommodate the most modern and biggest cruise ships in the world is the key to unlocking the tourism potential for our region.

“We look forward to working with the Government and the community in any way we can to move to the next stage and make Sydney’s new Cruise Terminal a reality. We’re also ensuring we work closely with communities around Australia and NZ, to future-proof ports.

“Port and infrastructure development is going to be vital to meeting demand and allowing communities to benefit from cruising’s economic injections.”

Besides educating travellers on the many virtues of cruise holidays, Bonner said her main selling tip for agents is to get on board with social media.

“Having a strong online presence is extremely helpful in generating new clients, promoting their services, advertising special deals, and of course, becoming a celebrity in their field!

“A number of the top agents Royal Caribbean works with have incredible online followings, and it means they can share their experiences directly in real-time,” she said.

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