| Berlin
spearheading the Kuoni Destination Management cruise project
Peter Antoni
General Manager
Kuoni Destination Management
Cruising has
become a global industry requiring a global approach from its
land-based service providers so Kuoni Destination Management has
embarked on a “cruise project” designed to enhance
and expand its service delivery to this increasingly important
sector of the travel market.
It is developing
a unified approach to handling cruise clients so that they receive
the same high level of service from designated cruise-savvy staff
in Kuoni offices all round the world.
This project
is being spearheaded for the whole Kuoni Destination Management
(KDM) Network by Conference & Touring in Berlin, a long time
specialist in the field of shore services for the cruise industry.
KDM’s cruise business is currently at its strongest in Europe
where its 25 offices include locations in key cruise ports and
cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Rome, Nice, Copenhagen
and Stockholm.
In some -
such as Copenhagen - cruise clients already represent more than
half of their business activity with turnaround and pre- and post
programmes figuring strongly among the services provided.
The Kuoni
network infrastructure provides scope for beneficial add-on services
such as online hotel booking which is already being used by lines
such as MSC Cruises.
But KDM offers
the whole range of services - from meet and greet and hotel/airport
hospitality desks through coach/limousine, port of call and turnaround
services to shore excursions and 24hr emergency support - for
both ocean and river cruise brands.
KDM works
with Royal Celebrity Tours across Europe, using only Kuoni destination
management companies and staff (as they have earned a reputation
for continuity, reliability and professionalism which is increasingly
valued in these uncertain economic times) rather than sub-contracting.
It is also
developing its cruise services in the US and in the Indian sub-continent
and Asia where there is increasing demand from existing and new
cruise clients.
As well as
MSC, KDM clients include Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises, Cunard
Line, Princess Cruises, Thomson Cruises, Peter Deilmann, Royal
Caribbean Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Crystal Cruises,
Pullmantur and many others. |
