At one point in time, cruising used to be an elegant affair. In fact, travel in general used to be an elegant affair. I remember always dressing up to fly when I was a kid. And my dad, even into his 90s would never be caught on a plane without a sport coat. As travel has become commoditized, casual became the norm. Sweats and yoga pants are de rigueur it seems. And cruising is not exempt. Formal nights evolved into “please don’t wear your bathing suit and at least put on a shirt” nights. And so it goes. But, did you hear about Carnival’s new policy on “offensive” clothing?

Recently, the cruise line updated their policy and outlined it on their FAQ sheet.

All guests are…

Moira joined Goway in 2007. She moved from South Africa to head up the Africa and Middle East Division. During the last ten years, the Africa division has gone from strength to strength, and now features 22 countries in the portfolio. A veteran in the industry, Moira’s previous roles in South Africa were that of Managing Director, and Marketing and Sales Manager, of two of the largest outbound tour operators in South Africa. Her passion runs to all things African, and her mission is to convince everyone that they need to travel to Africa at least once in their life!

Travel Research Online (TRO): Hi, Moira. How’s your new year going so…

Is there a travel professional anywhere who has not had a client or family member book their trip through some alternative venue? One moment we are certain of having a loyal client and the next we are learning of the great trip they are taking booked online, or directly with a cruise line, or even with another agency. As regretful as these experiences may be, there is a lesson in the pain.

We all make the mistake of wrongly assuming once a client is happy with our services they are ours for life.  Unfortunately, however, the perceived value of any service diminishes with elapsed time. Your clients are visited daily with images of travel opportunities, and unless your…

This may sound like a strange question, so I will give you a hint. Your only two choices are red or blue. Today’s article originates from a book by the name of Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.

Allow me to explain. A “red” ocean is the term used to describe a heavily populated and competitive marketplace. You can envision it as a bevy of sharks swimming around an attractive dinner target. The result is mayhem in motion as they fight and claw for a piece of the action. In short order it gets very bloody and even the victors don’t look like they are having much fun.

A “blue” ocean on the other hand appears to be calm and tranquil. Nobody is…