Nigeria’s leading tour management company, Tour Brokers International (TBI) has taken cruise tourism to a greater length with the promotion of cruise travels and experiences at a gala night held at the prestigious Oriental Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Travel on cruise ships is a fast-rising trend among both leisure tourists and business people. This is basically a result of the array of offers available on cruise ships which makes it a worthy experience for several diverse events at the same time. Cruise travel can be a combination of an invigorating vacation with adventure and thrills while still allowing for the usual conduct of business with business meetings and conferences. Also, cruise ships can also be a romantic haven for loved ones on a journey to their dream destination.
Family-based vacations can be arranged on cruises because of its customized entertainment for both parents and their kids. The memory of a wedding on a cruise ship can be relived by the couple years after the marriage. Singles, however, are not left out of the pleasures on cruise ships because it is a social experience where it is nearly impossible not to meet new friends. The TBI cruise night dubbed, ‘The Orientals of the Sea’, was attended by icons and luminaries from various sectors of the economy, including business barons, airline operators, celebrities and other travel industry stakeholders.
For both veterans of sea voyages and would-be first time cruise enthusiasts, it was an experience to watch videos of various cruise liners including Royal Caribbean and, particularly, its flagship, the gigantic Freedom of the Sea. The latter is taller than a 10-story building, and there are endless arrays of experiences available on the cruise, ranging from sleeping in palatial rooms, dining in exotic restaurants, eye-popping shopping, a children’s games arcade, and entertainment galore.
The event was further highlighted by videos of testimonials from clients who had been on previous TBI-organized cruises, and which were displayed on large screens to give guests a perception of the delights that await them on future cruises. Uloma Egbuna, cruise promoter and managing director of Tour Brokers International said the need to promote cruise tourism in Nigeria arose as a result of people’s desire to savour new and exciting forms of holidays and adventure which would at the same time satisfy their business demands, different from the usual flying to a destination, booking in a hotel, going on organized tours and the likes.
She said that in view of this newfound interest TBI is leading the promotional crusade in Nigeria to satisfy this need by giving more insight into what going on a cruise is all about, as well as having juicy cruise offers on the table for prospective customers. It was not all talking shop, as four lucky couples won exotic cruise packages and complimentary flight tickets at the gala where the guest of honour, George Argyropoulos, the representative of Royal Caribbean Cruises and MD of Cruises International from South Africa assisted with handing out the prizes.
The prizes included a 7-Night Arabian & Gulf Cruise and 2 Business Class tickets courtesy of Emirates Airlines; a 7-Night Caribbean along with 2 Business Class tickets on Delta Air Lines; a 7-Night Mediterranean Cruise and 2 Upper Class tickets from Virgin Atlantic Airways, and a grand prize of a 7-Night Cruise to Brazil with 2 Business Class tickets offered by South African Airways.