Home Based Travel Agent - October 2008 - (Page 40)

Cruise FOR THE AGENT TURNING WELLNESS INTO OPPORTUNITY Yoga cruises provide agents with another niche market Given the stresses of today’s world, a cruise can be a great escape. Increasingly, cruise lines are offering new health, fitness and wellness options at sea—including yoga. Some cruise lines even offer yoga-themed cruises, so agents might consider pitching a group cruise to yoga clubs, health facilities with yoga classes and wellness-minded clients. Following are a sampling of cruise line offerings. Consumers might sail in search of a mind-and-body overhaul with the “Holistic Holiday at Sea” aboard Costa Cruise Lines’ Costa Fortuna (www. costacruise.com), departing March 1, 2009, from Port Everglades, FL. This week-long, health-inspired cruise includes stops in Key West, Grand Cayman, Roatán and Cozumel. “People are always looking for ways to enrich their lives, and spending seven days at sea on a program completely devoted to health and wellness is one of the best ways they can do this,” says Linda Parrotta, Costa’s vice president of marketing. Experts and authors will put on 50-plus workshops focused on vegan and macrobiotic cooking, yoga, shiatsu massage, meditation, cancer prevention, heart disease and more. More than 3,200 people have participated in the Holistic Holiday at Sea over the years. “Guests who take part in this program are from around the country and have come to it from travel agents who pointed out the cruise based on what they knew about their clients’ lifestyles,” says Parrotta. “We’ve also seen agents marketing this cruise to clients by picking up on trends such as ‘New Year, New You’ health kick-starts or even pointing it out to their clients who have recently been through life changes. There are so many options when it comes to health, given the various mind and body aspects that speak to people.” Rates begin at $1,195 per person double, excluding taxes. Alternatively, agents might book a yoga-focused group into one of two Crystal Cruises’ (www.crystalcruises. com) “Mind, Body & Spirit” cruises this year. These include Crystal Symphony’s December 7 South America voyage from Los Angeles to Valparaiso, Chile, and Crystal Serenity’s December 12 Panama Canal cruise from Caldera, Costa Rica, to Miami. Next year, the Mind, Body and Spirit cruises are scheduled for March 27 and May 7. On these cruises, Crystal puts on an additional yoga instructor. On the December 12 voyage, Sandra Shaner, certified by the Yoga Institute and a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance, will be aboard. Cruise Lines Offer Guidance On all Crystal cruises, a fitness director usually provides complimentary yoga classes, generally offered every other day. Crystal stresses that yoga is appropriate for all ages and all fitness levels. “Our guests are active and inquisitive individuals looking to continue their healthy lifestyles while on vacation,” says Thomas Mazloum, Crystal’s vice president, hotel operations. One tip Crystal offers: Tell your clients on a group cruise that because yoga is user-friendly, it can be modified to be more or less intensive. Thus, it even has appeal for the spouse or partner of someone who is an avid practitioner. For example, a yogi’s partner can opt to be introduced to yoga during the cruise or simply enjoy the cruise experience while the yogi maintains her/his daily practice. If a travel professional wishes to put together a group of yoga enthusiasts, Holland America (www. hollandamerica. com) says its group sales department can help make all the arrangements. Such a group can employ the line’s onboard yoga instructors, working in conjunction with the Greenhouse Spa & Salon; or they may invite outside yogis (male instructors) or yoginis (female instructors). Additionally, a group can devote an entire cruise to the practice of yoga in all its forms—Raja, Karma, Jnana, Bhakti, Samadhi and Hatha, to name a few. This photo: A yogi and yoga lovers aboard a Carnival cruise Above right: Guests enjoy the aft deck pool and whirlpool on Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam 40 Home-BasedTravelAgent O CTOBE R 2008 http://www.costacruise.com http://www.costacruise.com http://www.crystalcruises.com http://www.crystalcruises.com http://www.hollandamerica.com http://www.hollandamerica.com

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Home Based Travel Agent - October 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Publisher’s Note Your Lifeline Agent Profile New Technology Industry News Hot Deals Charging Fees Cover Story: Divers’ Destinations For the Traveler - Cruise - Groups For the Agent - Cruise - Groups Top Hotels in Italy For the Traveler - Destinations - China For the Agent - Destinations - China For the Traveler - Destinations - Caribbean For the Agent - Destinations - Caribbean For the Traveler - Destinations -Las Vegas For the Agent - Destinations - Las Vegas Home-Based Agent Expo New Products

Home Based Travel Agent - October 2008

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