A&K plans to build four Crystal ships Robin Murray
A&K Travel Group (AKTG) has revealed plans to build four new Crystal Cruises ships by 2029. The group, which acquired
the line last year after it entered bankruptcy under the ownership of Genting Hong Kong, will build two expedition ships and two ocean ships to join Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony, which have both been refurbished. AKTG chief executive Cristina
Levis made the announcement at a press briefing on the shakedown cruise for Crystal Serenity ahead of its inaugural sailing from Marseille on July 31. She said: “We are working
closely with our lenders, with naval
Cristina Levis and Peter
Chipchase
not be restricted to the polar regions. The other two new-builds, which
will each carry about 650 passengers, will be similar in style to Serenity and Symphony but with a slightly more relaxed feel, revealed chief marketing officer Peter Chipchase, who joined A&K in December 2022. He believes now is the perfect
architects and with two shipbuilding companies in Europe to build four more ships. Our aim is to have them completed by the end of 2029. [There will be] two expedition ships and two classic ships.” Levis revealed plans are “quite
advanced”, with construction for one expedition ship and one ocean ship
AAAs winner set to open sixth store after chance meet
Josie Klein
An agency owner has credited a chance meeting with a friend en route to a winning night at the Agent Achievement Awards for inspiring her to open a sixth shop. Seaside Travel owner Nicola Park
opened her fifth store in April and said its “amazing” first three months had given her confidence to secure a sixth store, in Lanchester, County Durham. Park, who currently employs 30
retail staff and one homeworker, is initially seeking to recruit four people for the new shop – which she intends
6 3 AUGUST 2023
to open within the next six weeks – with scope for more staff to join once it is up and running. “I was on my way to the AAAs [in
London] on July 13 when I bumped into an old friend and he suggested Lanchester as a location for a new store,” she said. “That night we won Best Small
Agency in Yorkshire, North Midlands and North East England, which was amazing. The next day I called an estate agent and got an appointment to see a shop in Lanchester the following week. “As soon as I saw it I knew I
wanted it, so I put in an offer, which was accepted. It all happened so fast.” She added: “Covid truly was the
most awful time. And even now, with all the wildfires and intense heat in Europe, there’s a lot changing in travel. “I’m just going for it. People will
always want a holiday even if they go in June instead of July; we have to adapt. I’m so excited about the new shop.” Asked if she was aiming to open a
seventh store, Park said she was “not saying no” and that finding the right location was key for expansion.
expected to start in spring next year, but stressed the company had not yet signed a shipbuilding contract. The group hopes the first ship will be delivered in 2026. The ice-class expedition ships,
which will have capacity for about 220 passengers, will offer itineraries in the Arctic and Antarctica, but will
time to expand and “elevate” the line’s fleet, adding: “You can see from the way the cruise industry is moving, with new players coming in from the hotel space, that it is in a real growth phase. “These new brands will come in
and pitch their product at an ultra- high level. We feel that, where the market currently is, there’s a space in
between luxury and ultra-luxury.” i Special Report, page 10
Nicola Park (left) is recruiting for a new branch in Lanchester
“I don’t want to move into a
town and potentially threaten an independent business and destroy what they have built – that’s not what I’m about,” she said. “If we find the right spot then
I definitely think expansion is on the cards. I’m thinking maybe somewhere towards Middlesbrough might be a nice location.” She added: “Years ago a psychic told me I would have seven shops –
let’s see if they were right.” i AAAs picture special, pages 24-40
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Steve Dunlop
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