Crystal Agents Sell Well despite Rough Economy

Sixty-three agents qualified to attend Crystal Cruises’ top-producers gala onboard the Crystal Serenity, having sold at least $750,000 in Crystal cruises in 2007. “Already this year, there is $120 million in sales in this room, as of today,” said Bill Smith, the line’s senior vice president of sales and marketing.

Despite those numbers, Crystal said it is feeling the effects of the economy, with revenue down about 4 percent this year. Crystal President Gregg Michel attributed the drop in revenue to higher fuel and operational costs along with lower-than-expected ticket revenue.

“There’s not a whole lot we can do about the economic situation,” Smith said, adding that comparisons to last year are difficult because 2007 was a record year.

The $750,000 threshold climbed from the $600,000 needed to qualify for last year’s event, but will stay the same for next year. Crystal said that 66 agents have already qualified for next year.