Selling Cruises: Up-Selling With Shore Excursions
by John Hawks

One huge selling point for cruise vacations is the combination of comfortable accommodations with the chance to visit several different ports of call. Your clients can explore new destinations on a cruise more easily than if they were hopping motorcoaches or planes every day or so -- and, when they're exhausted from each day's visit, they can retreat to the luxuries and service available on their ship!

For travel agents, shore excursions -- those pre-packaged trips (lasting a few hours, a full day, or longer) that are scheduled during the ship's stops in various ports -- offer an excellent opportunity to customize your clients' vacations. On many itineraries, you can choose the full range of travel experiences -- from standard motorcoach-based city tours and self-guided walking tours to "hard adventure" treks and nature experiences. And, in many cases, you'll earn extra pay in the process.

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