Agents will be invited onboard the newly “amplified” ship in Malaga on 7 May (after it leaves its Cadiz shipyard), before sailing to Barcelona and disembarking on 9 May.
Royal is hoping to host 750 agents from across EMEA on the “sneak peek” cruise, before the updated ship’s first revenue sailing on 10 May.
“We’ve never really showcased any ship amplification in EMEA,” said Ben Bouldin, who has been newly appointed vice-president for EMEA.
“Allure’s got a whole raft of super-cool features including waterslides, the Ultimate Abyss and exciting new restaurant concepts.
“This will be a great opportunity to remind the trade what our product is all about… there’s a lot of turnover of staff in the travel industry.
“You forget that may have seen Oasis five years ago. So many people out there will just assume they know what Allure is all about.
“Our plan this year is to dial up agent engagement with our product.”
Following the Allure sneak peek there will be a full programme of five ship visits for 100-plus people on Anthem of the Seas in Southampton during the season.
There will also be visits through the season in Barcelona for additional people to see Allure.
“There’s a whole raft of opportunities to get the trade onboard and show them – or remind them – what the Royal brand is all about,” added Bouldin.
Royal is still working on the mechanics of the Allure event. For the Anthem ship visits, agents should liaise with their key account team managers.
“We want to support agents, be that with some of their top customers, or them coming onboard with their teams or management teams,” said Bouldin. “We’re open minded about to who wants to see it.”
Bouldin added Royal was going to take further people to Perfect Day this year, as well as hoping to take some members of the trade to the Odyssey of the Seas launch in summer 2021.
