p22 cruise May 8 5/5/09 17:04 Page 22
Cruise
Lee Hayhurst
020 7921 8001
lhayhurst@ttglive.com
For the latest cruise news, visit
ttglive.com/cruise
HAL to offer ex-UK
cruises next year
Lee Hayhurst.
Key to that growth, and to
HOLLAND America Line has awareness in the UK, has been
unveiled its first programme of HAL’s first brand awareness
full cruises out of the UK. campaign in the UK which has
The Carnival-owned pre- seen advertisements placed
mium brand will operate three in the likes of Conde Naste
Tony Youster (left), Jane Atkins and Ian Brooks cruises from Dover in May and Traveller, National Geographic
June 2010 ranging from eight and Home and Garden.
Ideal Cruising
to 12 nights on the 2,000- That was considered suc-
passenger Eurodam. cessful enough to be repeated
renews Freedom
HAL is offering one mini-cruise from Dover on for a second run this year.
Eurodam this year, and its ships will visit up to Narraway said she hoped having a ship in the
10 UK ports as part of their itineraries. UK next year would further boost its profile
ONLINE cruise agency Ideal Cruising has renewed But its 2010 programme will be the first time among consumers and agents, who she urged to
its membership with the Co-operative Travel’s in its history that the brand has had dedicated also focus on some of HAL’s long-haul cruise
Freedom Travel Group consortium. full-length ex-UK cruises. destinations such as Alaska and Australasia.
A deal to buy Ideal by Lowcosttravelgroup fell Lynn Narraway, UK managing director, said the HAL will conduct more ship visits this year
through earlier this year after the sides could not decision was partly based on the popularity than any other, with agents being invited to bring
agree on price. of July’s mini-cruise, which is 75% sold out customers on board. Last year more than 3,500
Ideal Cruising chairman Ian Brooks said the exclusively to UK customers. agents and consumers saw new ship Eurodam
firm’s continuing membership of Freedom gave “As a brand we will be over 100% up this year,” during its launch celebrations in Southampton.
customers assurance that their money was safe. she said. “I’m in the enviable position of having a “Everyone who saw the Eurodam last year was
“In today’s environment it is increasingly premium brand and it’s always easier for the just blown away by it,” added Narraway.
important to give your customers reassurance, small brands to grow than for the bigger brands
so being under the protection of The Co-operative to keep on growing.” ■ Cruise feature, p47
Travel puts us in a strong position,” he said.
Ideal Cruising managing director Tony Youster
added: “The Freedom Travel Group understands
our business well and has provided us with a Carnival buoyed by UK business
platform to do what we do best, which is to
profitably sell cruises. THE NUMBER of UK customers choosing to which also owns Fasttrack Cruise, and Narraway
“We have had a record trading month in April cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines, on its US and said she was hopeful Travel City Direct would
thanks to several new ship launches and our Caribbean sailings is up this year, despite the line soon reinstate its cruise programme.
growing database of loyal customers.” withdrawing ships from Europe. Due to its close ties with Virgin Atlantic,
Jane Atkins, head of Freedom Travel Group, Lynn Narraway, Carnival’s UK managing Carnival attracts a lot of new-to-cruise customers
added: “We are, of course, delighted that Tony director, said the loss of Carnival Liberty’s who holiday in Florida. As a result the repeat rate
and Ian have decided to retain their Freedom ex-Dover programme and cruises out of Rome is fairly low at 30%-35%.
Travel Group membership, and I think this is was a blow to its UK business. After last year’s launch of Carnival Splendor in
indicative of the fact that we can tailor our But she said disregarding those decisions, Dover, Narraway said the key was to encourage
service to individual members’ needs, regardless the line was 11% up in the UK, with customers agents inspired to make their first booking with
of size or specialism. cruising out of its bases in Florida and Barbados. Carnival to make more.
“It also provides recognition of The Co-opera- Narraway said she was “very pleased” with “What we need to do is try to keep those
tive brand; in difficult times, customers turn to that performance, particularly after Carnival UK agents on track selling Carnival even though we
brands that they know and trust, and during the lost a big partner in Travel City Direct, which failed don’t have a ship in the UK,” she said.
current economic downturn we have seen the as part of XL Leisure Group’s collapse last year. Narraway said she expected Carnival to position
real strength of The Co-operative.” Travel City Direct is now part of Virgin Holidays, ships back in Europe “within the next three years”.
22 08.05.2009
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