Azamara's Dondra Ritzenthaler Wants Travel Advisors to Think Like Lions

You need a lion's mentality to succeed in the competitive world of travel.

Azamara's president Dondra Ritzenthaler has a message for travel advisors: channel your inner lion. In a wide-ranging conversation at a recent industry event, Ritzenthaler laid out her vision for how advisors can thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape — by being bold, territorial about their client relationships, and relentless in their pursuit of the sale.

Ritzenthaler, who has spent decades in the cruise industry, argues that the advisors who succeed are those who treat their book of business the way a lion treats its territory. "You have to own it," she said. "You have to protect it. And you have to be willing to fight for it."

For Azamara, which positions itself as a destination-immersive cruise line with longer port stays and overnights, the advisor relationship is central to its growth strategy. The line has invested heavily in its advisor portal and commission structure, and Ritzenthaler sees the partnership as essential to reaching the affluent, experience-hungry travelers who are Azamara's core audience.