BEHIND THE SCENES: PETER MATHIEU
Managing Director Cruise Connection &
President Cruise & Ferry World

By Viviane Vogels

Peter Mathieu, Life is a cruise!
Peter Mathieu, 39 and newly wed, is a man with an inborn passion for cruises which he inherited from his Danish mother and his travel agent father. Born into a family with a long tradition of cruise travel, DKT Travel, Peter very quickly follows into his father’s footsteps and joins the family business.

TAKING THE HELM
De Keyser Thornton was a typical Antwerp maritime company who started a travel department in 1948: Voyages De Keyser Thornton Travel (later DKT Travel). The company over the years developed into a business and leisure travel company with offices in Antwerp and Brussels.

Peter first started in the Brussels office which in those days was still representing many great brands and became sales manager for the Venice Simplon Orient-Express.
It is here that young Peter learns the business inside out and, with the professional guidance of his father, he works towards the first major change. The Brussels Office was sold to its employees and in 2000 DKT Travel changes its name to Cruise Connection.

2000, the start of a new millennium, and also the year that Jacques Mathieu takes a step back and leaves the total management of the company to his son Peter.
Peter had some major decisions to make and it was generally considered to be a big gamble when he decided to go from a company that concentrated on a great number of –outstanding – products, to a company with its focus on 1 strong product.

That partner was quickly found: since the 70’s, DKT Travel had been the first General Agent worldwide for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., only normal that Royal Caribbean should become the 100% focus of the new vision company!

“I admit that this new strategy definitely took some convincing on the home front and it also raised a number of eyebrows as we literally did away with very lucrative contracts with other cruise lines and ferry companies.”

THE CRUISE REVOLUTION
Q: Do I detect a passion for cruises?
A: Cruises are indeed a passion and a passion that I would like to communicate even better to the clients. I see our role as mainly the educator of the middleman, in casu the travel agent. Cruises have to be “actively sold” to the client as they still have somewhat of an old fashioned label. It is up to the travel agent to convince the traveler of the contrary and that is not possible via internet. The travel agent has an advisory and confidence function. I describe myself as ‘preaching’ to the travel agents to help them and give them the arguments to convince their clients.

Q: What is the typical profile of the cruise client?
A: There is not really a profile anymore of the typical cruise traveler. Today we are light years away from the cruises of the 70’s when all ships were alike and aiming at an older, comfortably off clientele. The big democratization process started in the 80’s, when ships became bigger and offered a more varied choice of activities.. Since the start of the new Millennium, the marketing focus is directed at families and children. The children of today who have been on cruises when little …and who had also a good time on board!.. are our clients of the future. It is a long term investment, the children will continue the tradition of cruising when adults. It is definitely a ‘win-win’ situation, cruising has a very rosy future!

Q: How about cruises and the MICE sector?
A: I must say that there is an ongoing argument with the incentive houses who feel they cannot personalize a group on a ship, that they are better of on-land. I completely disagree with that opinion and I will explain why. First of all there is the very important budget factor. Cruises, because of the all-in formula can be perfectly budgeted; an argument the client will always appreciate! Most incentive trips look for a ‘bonding experience’ when traveling, cruises offer them the perfect opportunity as they –literally- have a captive audience on board. Do not forget that all excursions can be totally personalized as well.

Our main challenge lies with the decision maker: if he or she is prejudiced against cruises, we have a hard time selling the cruise concept. This problem can of course also be our major strong point if the decision maker is an avid cruise traveler! As far as exclusivity is concerned, today there are also plenty of smaller ships which can be easily chartered entirely for 1 group; on the larger ships it is still possible to reserve entire sections of restaurants and entertainment rooms for 1 client. The large ships have a nearly infinite possibility of entertainment; some ships can even bring cars on board or put out an ice-skating rink whilst floating around the Caribbean!

The major difference with a ‘land’ incentive is that with a cruise you can have a different land arrangement every day; in fact you could land in a different country every day. When your group is based in a hotel that is impossible and one is limited to the immediate surroundings of that hotel.
The advantage of a cruise ship is that everything is close by. For a night at the Casino or at the show theatre you just have to walk from your cabin up or down a few decks and that’s it; in Las Vegas, you would have to organize transportation etc.

Q: This brings me back to the perception of the individual traveler, the way people behave when on board..
A: You are right, people behave very differently when on board. This has mainly its origin in the ”feel secure” factor. Cruises are eminently safe…and that is a fact! The worst that can happen to you when you are drunk is the embarrassment of having to ask a friendly crew member to take you back to your cabin…It is amazing that this total absence of fear of mugging or stealing does to a person’s frame of mind! People have this sense of freedom; they are surrounded by likeminded travelers and therefore make contact more easily. The natural barriers between people are lowered, they consider the ship as their home, a feeling no foreign city or hotel can ever emulate. There are no disturbing exterior factors as long as they are on the ship, it’s like everybody belongs to the same club. When you go to your tennis, Pétanque, or golf club you will also more easily talk to other members, well, it is similar on a cruise.  Defenses are down, there are no real hidden agendas; no wonder there are so many shipboard romances!

This whole safety issue is of course also very important for groups and incentives: participants can get a personalized welcome and treatment but at the same time they benefit from this secure environment and they can interact with the other passengers.

CRUISE & FERRY WORLD PRESIDENCY
Peter Mathieu has been the President of C & FW for a number of years and will probably be a candidate again when his actual term comes to an end next year.
C&FW was founded in the 70’s by the “3 Jacques” in the cruise industry: Jacques Pourbaix, Jacques Pasteels and Jacques Mathieu. The idea was to create a quality label for the industry. The association has grown considerably since those early days and now represents approximatively 95% of the industry. Peter has been an active member for the last 15 years and has been co-instrumental in adapting the association to the needs of today’s market.

The main aim of the association is to assemble, in a serene way, all competitors on a monthly basis. C&FW is a Sales & Marketing oriented organization whose efforts are aimed to the travel agents, not to the public. In a purely ‘B to B’ set-up, all members of C&FW want to promote the cruise concept to the trade, give them the tools to better sell and explain the cruise concept to their clients, the future passengers. With the continuous growth of the cruise sector – an average of 10 à 15% per year! – the association has obviously found the right way of approaching the trade and selling their concept!

PETER MATHIEU ON ….

FAMILY
Peter has been married for a little over a year…and yes, his wife Vicky is also in the business, she is travel agent and obviously shares his passion for travel, cruise travel more specifically! Peter refers to his father regularly who was at the basis of the C&FW.
Peter has relocated his office to a quiet street near the old courthouse in Antwerp and lives nearly next door in a beautifully restored old house, because, as he says himself, I am a city person. I want to be able to walk out and be in the heart of the city!

SPORTS
Peter looks sporty but, for the moment, does not indulge in any sports. “I have done a lot of sports in the past: horseback riding, deep-sea diving, shooting… but I am not the sporty type and I really do not feel the need for sports. Although I love nature, I am a real city dweller and love walking around in my city or any city I visit…that qualifies as sport no?

TRAVEL
Cruising!...Well that was a surprise! Peter and Vicky are both avid cruise passengers and therefore went on a great honeymoon cruise to romantic Venice. They both feel at home on the ships and plan several cruises every year.

Favorite destinations?

• Reykjavik: “I like the very rough and hard countryside, there are no trees, everything looks so unspoiled and the Icelanders are great people!”
• Copenhagen…the city where I was born, a clean, airy city with great restaurants and even better shopping.
 
• The USA: I love everything in the States, especially the cities and make regular trips to discover more.
• Alaska: a great cruise to a fascinating part of the world, again the infinite white and unspoiled feeling attract me.

BOOKS
I read when on holidays; I like crime fiction, my favorite is Jef Geeraerts, unfortunately he only publishes 1 book per year! Another author I like reading is Pieter Aspe. Reading is pure relaxation for me especially as in this day and age we have a surplus of information. I do not read newspapers, I find them an antiquated instrument although the smaller formats are getting better, I did not like getting dirty hands reading the paper. Today I get my actual information from the Internet, Radio and TV. I do read business magazines and job related literature of course.

MUSIC
My favorites are David Bowie and Jacques Brel. I love the French classics such as Joe Dassin, France Galle; today’s pop music is ok as background music. The lighter classics such as Tchaikovsky and Mozart I listen to with pleasure, but I am not a fan of opera, that is again my lack of patience.

FOOD
Although I do not cook myself, the kitchen is very important to me. Eating is a moment in time which can be savored: it can be a quick meal in a hamburger restaurant or a gastronomic delight in a Michelin star restaurant. Eating is an experience for all senses just like a cruise (..I knew we were not getting away from the subject!..) My favorite cuisines are Italian, Thai and Flemish cooking (‘Stoofvlees ‘with fries, mmm)
Favorite restaurants in Antwerp:
- Brasseurs, just around the corner, a great Brasserie
- Sir Anthony van Dijck, a classic
- Lux, a spectacular interior
- InVincible: a restaurant where the meal is constructed around the wine choice
- Sips Cocktails & Mocktails: a great cocktail bar on the Waalse Kaai, the barman used to work on cruise ships!
Other favorite restaurants :
Michel Bras in Aubrac, France. A recent but unforgettable culinary experience!! For me, the best ever: no frills, but every bite explodes in your mouth, incredible.

MOVIES
I love watching old classics, thrillers with an unexpected twist such as the Hitchcock movies. My favorite series is still Columbo.

Q: A last question Peter, how would you describe yourself?
A:  I would have to say I am a just person; I can’ stand injustice or people who cheat. I myself am very honest and expect it also from others; I get very annoyed when people do not treat me righteously. With me, what you see is what you get, I have no hidden agenda. Keep it simple and enjoy life can be seen as leitmotivs in my life.
As a matter of fact there is only 1 certainty in life and that is death, but I am of the opinion that we should make the journey to that end destination as easy and as agreeable as possible!

Said with great conviction and enthusiasm by somebody who practices what he preaches!

Cruise & Ferry World Cruise & Ferry World is the official association for Cruises and Ferries enterprises in Belgium & Luxembourg. The Association was founded in 1972 under the name of “Cruise & Ferry Selection” as an initiative of 3 groups of General Sales Agents, representing 12 cruise and ferry companies, with the aim of promoting maritime activities by travel agents to the public. Gradually other groups joined; today C&FW counts 15 members and totals over 50 companies when including the Preferred Partners representations. This represents 95% of the total industry. Members are local offices, General Sales Agents or International Representatives of Cruise or Ferry companies. C&FW promotes the key role of its members, sales & marketing specialists related to nautical tourism (sea cruises & river cruises) and tourism by sea (ferries). The spectacular growth of the maritime sector has hit home the importance of a good understanding between the members. These companies –although often competitors- join forces in common promotional activities aimed at promoting the maritime tourist sector in general. Various activities are organized throughout the year, such as seminars and training workshops for travel agents, joint participation to both industry fairs and fairs open to the general public, workshops in Belgium and Luxembourg, etc.. The association has launched a new internet site providing all manner of information about the market and the industry, aimed at professionals as well as non-professionals. The sector generates an annual overall turnover in excess of 50 million euros. Secretariat C & FW Boulevard A. Reyers, 33 bte 17 1030 Bruxelles Fax: 02 721 49 09 Tel : 0475 71 97 22 email : cfw@skynet.be www.cfw.be

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