Beyond the port: rethinking shore excursions for today’s traveller

Cooperating with local communities and suppliers to create new products and services is becoming more important as guests show an increasing interest in maximising the experience and, also, in activities and venues that are less frequented, explained Susanna Capaccio, manager destination experiences at Silversea Cruises.

Anticipating trends and finding answers to provide different experiences for different travellers is on the agenda of Maria Tauschke, head of shore operations at TUI Cruises.

One of those trends is that of independents booking shore excursions for themselves, which is a topic that is gaining traction. "How do we communicate our added value for guests to book shorex with us," she asked. While Abigail Crossley, director strategic sourcing at Carnival Corp UK, said that ratings drawn from guest feedback forms show that: "Guests who take excursions tend to rate a destination more highly than those who choose to explore independently."

"Guests have more choice than ever before and we have to meet those challenges and deliver something for them. We need clear messaging and to be positive about why they should come with us," she added.

Which is when Amanda Kordt, director shore excursions, European Cruise Services, mentioned that one solution could be for cruiselines to lower their markup on tours. She also mentioned the need for variety and the need to keep being dynamic as, for example, "middle-class is not necessarily that person any more compared to five/10 years ago".

For Silversea, Carpaccio explained that the challenge is more about the lack of infrastructure (buses/guides etc) than it is about costs. "The solution is to have constant communication with all the stakeholders to find solutions," she said, while adding: "As demand grows it is important to maintain a standard of quality."

There was some discussion about the use of AI whereby Tauschke explained that TUI was conducting a test pilot on board Mein Schiff 2. Moderator Niamh McCarthy, ceo Excursions Ireland, concluded: "Whilst we are in a world that is changing, the human interaction has to be at the core of the excursion. We have to find that blend".