The Interview Iain Baillie,


Carnival Cruise Line


The UK sales boss is championing the value of travel agents with a new campaign and the line’s second wave of Fun Ambassadors. Harry Kemble reports


I 14


ain Baillie is reluctant to take the plaudits for coming up with Carnival’s Fun Ambassadors campaign,


which sees agents give their feedback in exchange for some pretty amazing perks. Carnival Cruise Line’s UK


vice-president of international sales says credit should go to his trade sales team, which collectively came up with the idea for the campaign, now in its second year. Fun Ambassadors was launched


in late 2018 to help drive engagement with the line’s Loyalty Rocks Club trade programme. To apply to be one of the eight ambassadors for the first year, 2019, agents were asked to outline what was fun about being a agent, what they would bring to the role and what suggestions they would make to improve the scheme. The eight agents appointed as


Fun Ambassadors came up with 40 ideas on how to improve the line’s relationship with the trade, covering rewards, training and the line’s


12 DECEMBER 2019


booking engine, GoCCL. In return, they were treated to all-expenses-paid trips to Miami and Ibiza, and received double reward points on all bookings. Baillie says about 90% of the ideas


put forward have been implemented and progress reports are given at Fun Ambassador board meetings hosted by the line three times a year. For 2020, Carnival has expanded


the campaign and appointed 12 ambassadors, after receiving a lot of applications (Travel Weekly, December 5). In keeping with the fun theme, the successful applicants were invited to a day out at trampoline park Flip Out in east London last month. As well as a trip to Ibiza in June,


they will also be welcomed on board upcoming new ship Mardi Gras after it enters service in August and sails into Southampton, and will be hosted at the 2020 Clia Conference. “Setting up Fun Ambassadors is one of the most important things we’ve done,” Baillie says. “We want to continue to remain relevant for the trade and be agent-centric. The only way of doing that is coming up with


forward-thinking initiatives.” Asked if the programme could


expand again, Baillie says there is “no ceiling”, adding: “If the quality [of applications] continues, then we cannot put a number on it.” The 2020 Fun Ambassadors will


carry out a “health check” on what their predecessors suggested before switching their focus to the line’s educational programme and how that could improve, according to Baillie. Christine Duffy, the line’s


president since 2015, flew over from Carnival’s Miami headquarters for a 24-hour visit earlier this month to host a dinner for agents and thank them for their support.


Ship visits With the addition of Mardi Gras, the Carnival fleet will grow to 28 ships. Until now, opportunities to see a Carnival ship in the UK have been few and far between. Agents might be more used to seeing Carnival’s sister brands P&O Cruises and Cunard, but Baillie believes he has created more opportunities. In the past, feedback from the


trade has often centred on this, but Baillie says: “We have got a real opportunity. Next year is our biggest fam trip programme to date. “With the inclusion of Mardi Gras,


1,000 agents will experience Carnival Cruise Line one way or another.”


We want to continue to remain relevant for the trade and be agent-centric.


The only way of doing that is coming up with forward-thinking initiatives


travelweekly.co.uk


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