It’s tough times right now, but there are some positive signs for the cruise industry, says the head of Expedia Cruises.

Speaking in a one-on-one interview with TravelPulse Canada, Matthew Eichhorst, President, Expedia Cruises & Global Cruise Leader at Expedia Group, said he’s seeing some improvement in bookings for sailings in 2021 and beyond.

The cruise industry is pretty much shut down through the end of February, but Eichhorst said cruisers are among the most loyal travellers around, and that they’re itching to get back on the water for their favourite type of vacation.

“The industry is seeing the slow signs of recovery as interest for cruise trips has increased recently for sailings next year,” he said. “Global searches between April and September this year for cruises in 2021 gradually increased month-on-month, with a noticeable month-on-month spike between August and September. The monthly average number of searches between October and November was up by almost 30% compared with the monthly average of April to September for trips next year.”

Eichhorst, who's based in Vancouver, said the Caribbean remains a popular choice for U.S. travellers.

“During a recent promotion run by Expedia Cruises and Princess Cruises, almost 9,000 passengers booked in just three days during the annual ‘3 Day Sale’ which ran from September 24th to the 26th for cruises in 2021 and 2022.”

Eichhorst said the recent decision by the Centers for Disease Control in the US to move its No Sail Order to a Conditional Sail Order, the news of a vaccination and cruise lines’ enhanced cleanliness protocols are all helping to build traveller confidence in cruises.

“Cruise lines are working hard to make considerable safety upgrades and onboard protocol changes to adapt to the current environment which may be contributing to the surge in consumer confidence. The key focus areas include boarding screenings, onboard testing, daily temperature checks for all guests, dedicated onboard quarantine areas, enhanced HEPA air filtration systems and dining reorganization.

“We see this as a real opportunity to rebuild the industry even better than it was before and to target new customers who may not have otherwise considered cruise. It’s an exciting time.”

Eichorst said that, over the last nine months, Expedia Group’s cruise division has consolidated every point of purchase across the group onto a single platform. Changes the company has made allow customers to shop for an array of cruises and offers on every point of sale, either on their own or with the help of an agent.

In addition to cruises, customers can also add Expedia Group’s extensive supply of flights, lodging, transfers and activities to fulfill the needs of their entire travel itinerary.

The new process also includes dedicating a single source for all their cruise inventory from Sabre or directly from the cruise lines; designing a consistent shopping experience to reduce friction as customers move between brands; and developing new agent technology, leveraging the proven platform known as Expedia Group Partner Central he said.

By consolidating to a single platform, franchise and consultant websites will receive the benefits of Expedia Group’s revamped technology with access to a broad inventory of cruise and non-cruise product, backed with a data-driven customer shopping experience, as well as industry leading security and scalability.

Eichhorst said river cruising has been growing by leaps and bounds.

“People start out on the river cruise product and then branch out to wider options,” he said.

It’s likely that domestic cruises will be the first to be back to something approaching normal, Eichhorst said, as customers might feel more comfortable driving to reach their cruise ship than they do flying.

That’s a little trickier for Canadians than it is for Americans, but there are plenty of cruises that can be booked in British Columbia, and also in Eastern Canada. There also are some smaller cruise lines on the Great Lakes.

Eichhorst said he’s probably been on 75 cruises or more in his life.

“I’m rather passionate about the industry,” he said.

Asked for a favourite, he quickly mentioned the Galapagos Islands.

“Everyone should have that on their bucket list,” he said. “It’s amazing. You’re out there in the ocean and it’s so quiet. There’s no industry.”

He’s also enjoyed river cruises in Eastern Europe and visiting cities and countries that used to be behind what was called The Iron Curtain.

“It’s a spectacular cruising environment, and it’s great to meet with people from these countries. Travel definitely makes us better people.”

One place Eichhorst hasn’t managed to take a cruise is Africa.

“People usually think of Africa as a land destination, but there are some land and cruise combination. I’d like to do that, but our family is getting bigger with girlfriends and wives, so I’m not sure about that,” he added with a laugh.