Cruise Travel Retail stores: a sea of opportunities.
April 21th, 2021
The demand for Cruise travel has been increasing every year. This growth is mainly the result of passengers’ high level of satisfaction, deriving from just being at sea, enjoying the fun activities on board and visiting different Ports of Call, making cruises an ideal holiday destination for so many travelers.
Many of the world's leading operators are now speaking more openly about the importance of Cruise Lines as a Travel Retail channel for their growth strategies; It represents an exciting opportunity, not only for the retailers but also for their customers. To enhance their presence in the Cruise industry, strategic investments are being made in opening or reactivating Duty Free stores to increase travelers’ expectations, by providing a new shopping experience with best-of-portfolio world renowned brands.
The Bacardi Company comes to mind as an example of famous brands. At Puerto Rico’s San Juan Free Zone, Cruise passengers have the opportunity to discover and enjoy the heritage of Bacardi Rum in a bar setting, dedicated exclusively to showcasing a variety of their traditional rum products, as well as branded merchandise such as hats, t-shirts and cocktail-inspired souvenirs.
Channel expectation growth for 2026 will represent 5% of travel retail global value. Companies belonging to the cruise industry should be able to use all their resources to captivate their travelers, businesses, and activities that they offer onboard and create reasons to return due to their high level of satisfaction.
