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Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) is pleased to announce an expanded flexible booking policy for all new bookings made from now until the end of May, to encourage those thinking about future travel to consider planning a cruise.

Despite the current hold on the travel and cruise industry, many travellers are already looking to plan for their future holidays. CMV Australia has recorded strong forward bookings across February and March, particularly for the European 2021 summer season, for which bookings have increased by 55% in comparison to the European 2020 season.*

Cruises to the Northern Lights accounted for nearly half of all bookings made, while Arctic Voyages to Iceland, Greenland and Scandinavia have also been exceptionally popular. Guests are also responding well to the collection of longer cruises available in the 2021 season, with more cruisers booking travel for two weeks or longer compared to previous seasons.*

In light of this continued enthusiasm for cruising, CMV is introducing an update to its booking policy that will give guests the opportunity to plan their travel flexibly and allow them to feel more confident in making new bookings.

“We know that keen cruisers still want to cruise, so we want to ensure that travellers can return to travel when they are ready and that they can have something to look forward to when this is all over,” says Dean Brazier, Managing Director of CMV Australia.

“To help restore confidence in cruising and reassure our guests about their future travel plans, we will be relaxing our booking conditions to allow guests to consider their future travel now and get motivated. By allowing changes to bookings for 2020, 2021 and 2022 cruises at no additional cost, we are ensuring that cruisers can book now and transfer later if, for any reason, they decide they aren’t ready to cruise again just yet.

“During a period where people are spending more time at home and perhaps planning for better days, we want our guests to feel inspired for their next trip, whether it’s later this year, or in two years’ time. When they are ready, we’ll be here for them.”

The updated policy offers guests more peace of mind when making new bookings in the short-term, with fully-transferrable deposits for new bookings made from now until the end of May, applicable on any sailing or any ship departing in 2020, 2021 or 2022, up until 90 days prior to sailing. All standard administration and transfer fees will be waived under CMV’s booking policy, to give cruisers confidence in future travel.

CMV’s refreshed policy is also a way for the cruise line to support agents in securing bookings and commissions. Despite the issues that the travel agent community are facing, agent partners still account for the majority of CMV bookings made..

“Travel agents are key to the cruising industry and contribute greatly to the Australian economy,” says Darren Chigwidden, National Sales Manager for CMV Australia and New Zealand.

“This flexible policy not only gives guests peace of mind when booking future cruises with CMV, but it also supports agents in their roles at a time when they need it most. By securing future bookings with this policy, we can ensure that agents maintain their commissions and their confidence in cruises.”