From late January, Royal Caribbean has been offering an industry first project in its ‘Club Royal Rewards’ loyalty program and it’s here to stay, with more on the cards for the agents who get on board!

The program offers $25 cash back for every booking made by an agent with Royal Caribbean, which is deposited into pre-paid visa card.

Club Royal Rewards was designed to enable and incentivise trade partners to discover more about Royal Caribbean’s product range, current offers and key benefits.

Travel Weekly recently caught up with Dave Humphreys, director of sales, Australia and New Zealand at Royal Caribbean to learn more about where he sees the program being popular, what’s in it for the agents making the most bookings and the future of the program.

You can read more about the program itself here.

Travel Weekly: Why did you decide to introduce the loyalty program to start 2023?

Dave Humphreys: Club Royal Rewards is a market-first loyalty program developed with travel partners over the last year. Agents have worked incredibly hard during one of the most challenging seasons for our market, so the introduction of this program recognises their loyalty to Royal Caribbean. There are some very small commissions out there in travel at the moment, so we want to make sure agents are fairly rewarded for booking a Royal Caribbean cruise.

TW: What itineraries do you see the program being most used on?

DH: Club Royal Rewards will create opportunities for agents to learn more about our ships, holidays, deals and perks across all of Royal Caribbean’s sailings. There is a spike in interest for Queensland travel, as Quantum of the Seas homeports from Brisbane. Quantum of the Seas offers the boldest, unique adventures Queensland has ever seen and a gateway to the picture-perfect South Pacific, offering guests a choice of 2-12 nights sailings. Queenslanders can now sail right from their doorsteps with multiple first-at-sea experiences, including North Star observation capsule, FlowRider surf simulator, and skydiving with RipCord by iFLY, offering value to families, couples and multi-gen groups looking for the ultimate holiday.

TW: Tell us about the increased interest post pandemic in Royal Caribbean Australian travellers and agents?

DH: The past year has definitely been an exciting year for Royal Caribbean in our market. We welcomed two Quantum Class ships to Australia and New Zealand, which are the most innovative ships to come to our shores. After a new two-year hiatus, travellers are ready to board our sailings and agents have felt the increased appetite for family-friendly travel experiences.

TW: Do you expect to see competitors begin offering similar programs at this time?

DH: There are many loyalty platforms out there, but our rewards program has been created for our travel partners and we’re proud that this always-on, cash-based programme is industry-first in our market.

TW: How many sign ups have you seen since launching the program?

DH: We’ve been overwhelmed with sign ups and redemptions from agents we’ve been working with for many years as well as those new to our great industry, who are really excited to grow with Royal.

TW: Are there any further incentives for top performing agents in the program?

DH: Through the Club Royal Rewards program, we will invite agents to events, functions, movie premieres, industry nights and of course, to enjoy their own holidays with Royal.

TW: What would you say to agents looking to upsell clients?

DH: Royal Caribbean will truly elevate every aspect of your client’s holiday. Your guests can replicate their local experience on a Royal ship all across the world. We offer the most balconies at sea and our suites rival luxury brands, including a Royal Genie in our Star Class. Our RoyalUp programme allows guests to bid for upgrades and is fully commissionable to the agent. So too is Next Cruise, which allows guests to book a future holiday on Royal anywhere in the world; with the commission and booking belonging to the original agent. And of course, true to brand, Royal will change the game once again when Icon of the Seas launches in January 2024 sailing to our private destination island Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas.

TW: What’s the expected longevity of the program?

DH: We have big ambitions for Australia and New Zealand and we’re backing travel agents to get us there. Club Royal Rewards is an always-on, non-tactical incentive, and it’s cash, for every Royal booking. To share our excitement launching Club Royal Rewards, we’re offering double rewards on every booking from the start of this year to 28 February 2023.