Travel firms selling cruise liner tickets are slashing prices in an effort to bolster plunging sales, according to new reports.

Although UK cruise companies have been particularly badly hit, experts have pointed out that the interlinked nature of the industry has seen firms across Europe suffer from falling sales figures.

The crisis means travellers can head from UK airports such as Stansted and Gatwick to embark on a cruise around some of the most beautiful parts of the world for a fraction of the normal cost.

“The cruise market is weak because it is trans-European,” said Bob Atkinson of TravelSupermarket.

“If bookings are poor in Spain, Italy and France then the cruise lines aren’t getting the numbers they need to fill cruises, that means more go on sale in Britain.

“Book at short notice and you’ll probably get a great price, with cruise lines also chucking in free flights and on-board spending. Royal Caribbean voyages from Southampton start at £699 and can include $100 of onboard credit. It’s effectively a discount of 20-30%.”

Mr Atkinson went on to point out that the trends affecting the cruise industry could also be indicative of the travel sector as a whole, with people “hedging their bets and spending cautiously”.

The cruise industry has hit the headlines in recent months, after two liners from the same company ran into serious problems at sea. Most recently the Costa Allegra caught fire near the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, while the Costa Concordia vessel ran aground and capsized, killing at least 25 people. Both ships were operated by Costa Cruises.

For most people, travelling to the Seychelles will probably involve airport transfers, an early check-in at Heathrow Airport followed by duty-free shopping before they finally get away on their dream holiday.

Royal couple head to Seychelles?

For the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are rumoured to have headed to the idyllic location for their honeymoon, getting there will probably have been a bit easier and a lot more private.

William and Kate already know about the warm weather and beautiful scenery that the Seychelles has to offer – they holidayed there four years ago.

In August 2007 the couple spent a week on the island of Desroches, which is only four miles long and can be found about 150 miles south west of the Seychelles’ main island, Mahe.

It was reported that William told islanders the Desroches trip was the best holiday he had ever had.

Desroches is the main island of the Amirantes Group – locations which boast exclusive resorts in the kind of setting that most honeymooners can only dream about.

The Seychelles is a classic get-away-from-it-all location, lying in the Indian Ocean between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Equator.

William and Kate will find that the Seychelles ticks all those honeymoon boxes – warm weather, white-sand beaches, seclusion, luxury and romance.

If that was not enough, the royal couple are even going at the right time of the year. The Seychelles get the wettest weather in January – when many Britons are tempted to go to get away from the worst of the UK weather.

But May in the Seychelles sees the start of the cooling trade winds that keep the temperature down in the evenings.

The couple can expect to have temperatures between 24C (75F) and 32C (90F) – plenty hot enough for swimming and diving if they fancy it.

If a little island-hopping is required then this is the place to do it, as the Seychelles is made up of more than 100 islands.

Desroches boasts the luxury Desroches Island Resort hotel. The island was named after the Chevalier des Roches, the Governor of Mauritius from 1767 to 1772.

Copyright © Press Association 2011