While the first day of the Cruise Tourism Congress held in Seville focused on the concepts of technology and sustainability, the second session focused on the importance of customer experience.
The event, organized by Suncruise Andalucía, opened its second day of conferences with a conversation between Virginia López, CEO of Cruises Media Group, and Esther Molina, manager of Suncruise.
Molina noted that Andalusian ports have "a very close relationship with the development of smart tourist destinations, especially in everything related to accessibility, sustainability and the application of new technologies in the relationship between ports and destinations with travelers.".
Later, Virginia López herself moderated the round table discussion “How the User Experience is Changing the Cruise Industry.” In her presentation, López emphasized that “over the last two decades, the cruise sector has become increasingly diversified, and companies have adapted to the experience they want to offer each of their passengers.”.
Emilio Freeman, spokesperson for Seadream Yacht Club, pointed out that, while in recent years for many travelers the cruise has become the destination, "we see cruises as a means of transport that can take them to places that are inaccessible to larger vessels.".
Freeman also explained that “the current situation can be an opportunity to promote more local destinations that are closer to the traveler. Furthermore, in adapting these new strategies, we have noticed that travelers appreciate communication based on transparency.”.
For his part, Giorgio Costa, spokesperson for Silversea, agreed that “the current situation implies major changes in our strategy, but our teams and our customers must remain our priority. Now, more than ever, we must reinforce their trust in us.”.
Change of course
Alberto Pedraza, Head of Cruise Contracting at Viajes El Corte Inglés, pointed out that “safety protocols are now critical and a key factor in purchasing decisions that we must address from the distribution stage, eliminating clichés. It's pointless for the industry to adapt to the current circumstances if we don't know how to convey the value of these measures.”.
Subsequently, Alberto Ortiz de Saracho, managing director of Andalusian Tourism, was in charge of moderating the panel Digital Experiences in ports and destinations for Digital Tourists: what's new?
Beatriz Arilla, managing director of the Seville Tourism Consortium, noted that “in the current climate, we need new strategies linked to the concept of a smart destination. The new environment compels us to embrace digitalization, the application of new technologies, and the monitoring and analysis of data that will allow us to bring together experiences that offer value and differentiation.”.
According to Daniel Navarro Campero, manager of the Huelva Provincial Tourism Board, "the digital experience must stem from the needs of the cruise passenger, not the other way around. We need a coherent promotional strategy based on safety, reliability, and stability. Digitalization is essential, but we must not forget the human factor, which is fundamental.".
Looking to the future
At the closing of the congress, José García Fuentes, president of Suncruise Andalucía, gave a very positive assessment of the event: “We have achieved the objectives we set for ourselves in the analysis of digitalization and understanding our cruise passengers, which will allow us to develop a product that is closer to travelers' preferences as we look toward the recovery of the industry.”
Manuel Alejandro Cardenete, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice, and Local Administration for the Regional Government of Andalusia, closed the event by reminding everyone that “we must continue operating. Sustainable management has been a central theme of the congress, and this will allow us to better position ourselves within the sector and among travelers; we must recover the upward trajectory we were on, rebuilding trust among cruise lines, travelers, and destinations.”.
