Crystal offers bonuses up to $500 on river bookings


Harry Kemble


harry.kemble@ travelweekly.co.uk


Crystal Cruises is offering agents bonus payments on top of commission on selected river cruise bookings.


Agents can earn a $500 bonus


per reservation on selected 2018 Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Ravel full voyages.


In addition, the line is offering


a $250 bonus for bookings of its shorter ‘Getaway’, or segment, sailings, which were introduced at the end of March. The lead-in price for a 14-day


Frankfurt-Amsterdam sailing, departing on June 24, is £6,419. A seven-day segment of the same sailing, from Frankfurt to Mainz, leads in at £3,063. Crystal Cruises said it was adopting a “more pragmatic approach” to focus agents’ minds on “experiences” that can be booked now. Walter Littlejohn, Crystal


River Cruises’ vice-president and managing director, said the move towards segment sailings had “done wonders” for agents on both sides of the Atlantic. The commission offer is valid for


Viking appoints sales executives with travel agency experience


Viking Cruises has recruited two sales executives. Gemma Bradwell will support


trade sales in the north of the country, while Sabrina Piscioneri will cover the south of England.


LITTLEJOHN: Says segment sailings have ‘done wonders’ for agents $250


Bonus for bookings of Crystal’s segment trips


bookings made until November 18. Littlejohn, who took up his


role with Crystal in April 2016, said the line was looking for every opportunity to increase the number of combination cruises it currently offers. Crystal, like other river lines, allows passengers to pair a river


The roles have been created


to assist Viking’s trade sales managers, Jenny Wade in the north and Andrew Schweitzer in the south. Both Bradwell and Piscioneri


have travel agency backgrounds and will support current managers in the regions with training programmes, events and promotional activity. Neil Barclay, Viking’s head of sales, said: “Both Gemma and


20 travelweekly.co.uk 7 June 2018


cruise with either another river, ocean or yacht sailing. Littlejohn added: “We have over 30 [options] where we have an ocean cruise with a river cruise, a yacht cruise with a river cruise and river cruise and river cruise. When we have more ocean ships there will be more opportunity.” Despite combination cruises


representing only a “small part of the business”, Littlejohn said the arrival of three new ocean ships, the first of which is due in 2022, would allow Crystal to create more


combination cruises. crystalcruises.co.uk


GEIRANGERFJORD: Voyages to Antiquity sails to Norway in 2019


Sabrina’s experiences will be key in assisting travel agents to expand their understanding of our cruises and help them feel better equipped to sell Viking Cruises. “As Viking and our fleet continues to grow, so too does our investment in the trade.” He added that the appointments demonstrated the line’s “ongoing


RECRUITS: Sabrina Piscioneri (left) and Gemma Bradwell


commitment to the travel trade”. vikingcruises.co.uk


Antiques expert Lars Tharp among Voyages to Antiquity speakers


Voyages to Antiquity has released its speaker programme for 2019. It includes Lars Tharp, an expert


on Antiques Roadshow; Lara Hogg, a Viking specialist; Mark Spencer, a forensics expert; and actor-cum- wine expert John Ducker. Voyages to Antiquity’s 2019 summer programme features six new countries, with sailings in the Mediterranean, Iceland, Norwegian fjords and North Cape. To mark the 2019 brochure


launch, passengers can save up to £1,200 per cabin for bookings made by the end of June 2018. The early-booking lead-in price


for the Italian & Adriatic Highlights itinerary from Rome to Venice, departing September 5, 2019, is £2,795 – a saving of £900. Tharp will join the sailing and will talk about the rediscovery of classical Rome and how Mediterranean


design spread to northern Europe. voyagestoantiquity.com


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