Celebrity Cruises has today (January 4th) joined forces with ABTA in a new campaign that generously gives back to the travel industry. In recognition of the huge role that travel agents and trade partners have played to get the industry back on its feet, the ‘Celebrity Loves Agents’ campaign will see the luxury cruise brand donate £10,000 to ABTA LifeLine and pledge a further £1 for every agent booking made throughout January.
ABTA Lifeline is the charity of ABTA, the UK’s largest travel association which represents travel agents and tour operators. ABTA Lifeline was created in 1988 to provide practical, financial, and emotional assistance to travel colleagues in their time of need. Celebrity Cruises’ donation will help the charity continue its incredible work and is given in recognition to the vital role everyone in travel played as the cruise industry resumed sailing last year.
Celebrity Cruises’ support for ABTA Lifeline will continue throughout January with a donation scheme in place that also pledges £1 for every travel agent booking claimed via Celebrity Rewards.
The rewards and agent recognition doesn’t stop there. With every new booking made on any sailing year from 2021 through to 2023, agents will earn £10/€12 for each Balcony and Concierge stateroom. Rewards will be enhanced for Aqua Class bookings to £20/€24 per booking, and further increased to £25/€30 for each booking in The Retreat.
Jo Rzymowska, Vice President & Managing Director, EMEA for Celebrity Cruises stated that “We feel very privileged to be working alongside ABTA Lifeline and supporting the incredible work they do to help families in our industry during times of need. Our donation and the £1 per travel agent booking scheme running this January will help further this important cause and is given in grateful recognition of all of those who supported us as we returned to the water last year.”
Derek Jones, Chairman & Trustee for ABTA Lifeline added “The past two years have been an exceptionally difficult time for everyone in the travel industry, and we have experienced an increased number of people contacting us for help. On behalf of ABTA Lifeline and the individuals and families that we support, we would like to thank Celebrity Cruises for its donation which will go far in helping those at the heart of our industry as we rebuild.”
Celebrity Cruises’ Wave Offer
The new ‘Celebrity Loves Agents’ campaign coincides with Celebrity Cruises’ unmissable savings and free flights to Europe on top of ‘Always Included’ drinks, wifi and tips, that help agents inspire their clients to book the luxury holiday they’ve been dreaming of. Available on bookings made right through to 28th February 2022, staterooms onboard sailings departing from January 2022 to March 2023 are eligible for savings of up to £2,400, dependent on the length of itinerary and stateroom category.
Paired with incredible airfare offers of free flights to Europe from the UK and Ireland on selected April to November 2022 European sailings, agents will be able to entice their clients to turn their bucket list dreams into a reality and in doing so, contributing £1 to ABTA Lifeline per booking. Selected Caribbean fly-cruise bookings in 2022 and 2023 will also be eligible for discounted airfares, with savings of £300/€360 per person.
And because Celebrity Cruises believes holidays should be effortless from start to finish, all sailings come with drinks, Wi-Fi, and tips, drinks and ‘Always Included’, helping bring that wonderful feeling of ‘everything is taken care of’ to life.
Sales Support for Agents
A brand-new suite of sales and marketing toolkits, packed with selling guides, social-ready content, and digital banners will also be hosted on Celebrity Central to help agents maximise their sales and Celebrity Rewards earnings. Agents can also expect exciting new assets available on Celebrity Central as Celebrity Cruises launch their multi-million pound cross-channel marketing campaign including TV, out-of-home and digital channels, across the UK from January to March 2022.
Plus, Celebrity Cruises will be offering six new training videos, available on the Celebrity Loves Agents Facebook page, and through the Celebrity Central toolkit, on topics from The Retreat to brand new Celebrity Beyond (coming straight from the shipyard to Southampton in April 2022), to allow agents to improve their knowledge.
And finally, in a first for the cruise industry, the enhanced Celebrity Rewards programme gives agents the chance to redeem points on a luxury gift for their clients. The new and improved scheme follows feedback that travel partners would like to be able to treat their clients while on holiday, so Rewards Points can now be redeemed on a range of thoughtful gifts such as champagne and celebration cakes. Alternatively, agents can continue to redeem points to treat themselves.
Agents can visit Celebrity Cruises’ dedicated Travel Agent Facebook page for latest updates, top pick itineraries to share with their customers and top-selling tips from the sales team throughout the campaign period – https://www.facebook.com/CelebrityTravelAgents/
