New Club Med UK chief woos trade Andrew McQuarrie
Jérémie Hoss, Club Med’s new managing director for the UK, has vowed to work closely with the trade as he seeks to strengthen the all- inclusive resort specialist’s fastest- growing distribution channel. Hoss, who took over from Nicolas
Bresch on July 20, said fam trips would play a central role, revealing they were the basis of his “first question” to Jemma Bridges, who leads trade sales in the UK. “The more agents who experience
Club Med, the better they will understand its value and the more confidently they will recommend it. Fam trips will be a key lever,” he said. Hoss, who has been with Club
Med for more than a decade, most recently working from Rio de Janeiro, said he was supportive of Bridges’ ambition to operate 18 fam trips this year, up from 12 in 2025. “I want our partners to discover
our product because I’m pretty confident they will be proud of it and sell it with confidence,” he added. He confirmed fam trips would be
organised for the new South Africa resort, which opened last month, as well as the upcoming Borneo resort. While the bulk of demand from
the UK has traditionally been for Club Med’s winter resorts, Hoss said he hopes travel agents will help encourage sales for the rest of the company’s portfolio. A brand campaign set to be
Scenic Group courts agents with host of pro-trade measures
Ella Sagar
Scenic Group has launched a major trade push centred on an “industry-first”, no-poach guarantee, backed by expanded support for agents and substantial fleet growth. UK head of trade and partnerships
Shane Lewis-Riley introduced the Scenic By Your Side initiative during a webcast with Travel Weekly editor- in-chief Lucy Huxley, held on board Scenic Eclipse II during the group’s inaugural ship visit to London. The strategy includes a “no-poach
guarantee” alongside a new “co-pilot marketing” scheme. The opt-in
6 13 AUGUST 2026
programme allows Scenic to market direct to an agency’s past clients, ensuring any resulting bookings are credited back to the original agent. “It is our commitment to trade
partners to help them understand they can trust us as a loyal partner and that we are here for the long term, not a quick win,” said Lewis-Riley, who joined six weeks ago from Titan Travel. “We are guaranteeing we will
never actively poach your guests. We want our partners to win, and we will only win if we are heading in the same direction.” As part of the push, Scenic Group will host a nationwide series of
same period in 2025. “It’s the channel with the fastest growth, showing our desire to expand our relations with travel agents,” said Hoss. Asked about any plans to expand
Jérémie Hoss
introduced in October will focus on the operator’s sun destinations. Other priorities include investment
in a “digital transformation” to ensure agents can make “hassle-free” bookings, Hoss said. Trade sales in the first half of the year grew by 14% compared with the
Scenic Ikon; inset, Shane Lewis-Riley
the trade-facing team in the UK, he said he was working to make sure the “right resources” are in place. “We will probably need to reinforce our presence in certain regions,” he said. The operator currently has 66
resorts and is aiming to grow to a 100-strong portfolio by 2035. In addition to the UK, Hoss also
has responsibility for Club Med in north Europe and South Africa. Bresch has relocated to mainland
Europe to “pursue a new opportunity within the travel industry”, said a Club Med spokesperson.
“travel lounge” consumer roadshows in partnership with agents; segment its agent database to offer tailored product support; and bolster its UK sales team with two new recruits. The commercial drive
complements a major fleet expansion as the company marks its 40th anniversary this year, with UK sales and marketing director Nichola Absalom revealing nine ships are due to launch over a three-year period. The expansion includes Danube
River vessel Emerald Astra and ocean yacht Emerald Kaia this year, Seine River ship Emerald Lumi next year, alongside two further Emerald ocean vessels and Scenic Ikon.
“We’re not the biggest fleet, and
we don’t ever want to be the biggest, but we are growing quite fast,” said Absalom. “Our ocean yachts offer limited capacity with around 100 passengers, which is why we are building more ships, because the demand is clearly there.” Absalom noted UK sales are split
evenly between direct bookings and the trade. Emphasising that agents remain vital to Scenic, she added: “We can’t do this without them.”
Watch the webcast at
travelweekly.co.uk
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Max Marshall Studio
PICTURE: Steve Dunlop
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