L CRUISE
largest continental retailer of cruise in Europe. Downs is its softly spoken but
determined chief executive. His company’s online success
means he fears for the future of bricks-and-mortar travel agencies across the country. “I do not have a crystal ball,” he
says. “But I think [high street travel agencies] will have to work harder and harder to attract footfall. “I have held a similar view for
the last 20 years. Consumers are moving online. If you are a high street agency, you need to have omnichannel capabilities; and if you are an OTA, crack on.” Yet he admits shop agencies in
remote areas of the country may have “sticky” or loyal client bases that can sustain their businesses. Dz f they can ϐind a way to leverage consumer business, then great,” he says. “If they continue to give great service then they will continue to get footfall into the store. “If they don’t, consumers will
go online. It is down to everybody to ϐind out what they are good atǤ None of us take our customers for granted.”
Iglu investment Last month, Wimbledon-based Iglu appointed David Gooch as commercial director, a role previously held by Dave Mills, who stepped into the newly- created role of global supply director in September. The recruitment of Gooch, a
former Thomas Cook e-commerce director, follows a long list of appointments made with a view to maintaining Iglu’s growth overseas. Simone Clark’s move from managing director to senior vice-president for global supply in 2017 and Mills’ elevation are
two of the most notable. When we started, we were in one country and now we supply ϐiveǡdz Downs explains. “Dave [Mills] and Simone are building these new relationships, and that was taking them out of the ofϐiceǤ
know what will happen. “It is a political conundrum, and nobody knows how to solve it. “We are entering crazy,
unchartered shenanigans, but we have got conϐidence in the industryǤdz Downs’ upbeat assessment is
ave loves that stuff and
he is brilliant at it, so we needed to ϐill that voidǤdz Downs is speaking just a few
weeks before the wave period gets under way. It is a time of the year that he
knows well. After all, he chose to diversify from an online ski agency, heavily inϐluenced by seasonalityǡ to an year-round cruise business. “[Gooch’s appointment] is an
example of us investing in the team,” says Downs. “It enables us to grow the business and will allow us to be as competitive in the marketplace as we can be. “We represent the cruise lines’
product in the wave period. From a product and commercial perspective, it helps us put our best foot forward without giving any margin away. “We are very bullish about
2019.”
Brexit impact It is impossible not to ask Downs about Brexit as the nation limps towards its scheduled divorce from the EU on March 29. Downs commutes to southwest
London each week from Barcelona, where he lives with his family. With Iglu now trading in four
European countries outside of the UK – Ireland, France, Italy and Spain – Downs is better placed than many to opine on how the cruise industry will fare when Britain eventually leaves the EU. e says it is Dzvery difϐicultdz to
I do not have a crystal ball, but high street agencies will have to work harder to attract footfall. I have held a similar view for the last 20 years. Consumers are moving online
due in no small part to the fact that Iglu’s cruise and ski sales are up year on year for 2019 and 2020. He notes previous challenges
that cruise has overcome in the past 20 years. Asked to recall the toughest, Downs does not hesitate in responding with the words “Costa Concordia”, describing the 2012 shipwreck as “one of the toughest challenges of the past 20 years”. He also cites the impact of the ϐinancial crash of ʹ00ͺ on holiday bookings.
Cruise resilience Downs says the fact that a cruise holiday is “more inclusive than most holiday products” will help the industry navigate its way through 2019. “If following Brexit there was
an exchange rate depreciation, then the cost of food and accommodation is all included in a cruise fare,” he explains. “That might encourage people
looking at both land-based holidays and cruise [to plump for the latter] because the value proposition of cruise is better.” Furthermore, Downs says passengers who sail with P&O Cruises will be heartened that everything on board is priced in pounds.
“Cruising is a real hedge and
helps cushion a natural [economic] blow,” he says. “The cruise industry is hugely resilient.” Looking ahead, he adds: “It is
going to be an exciting 2019. I go back to the cruise line partners that have had a 20-year track record of building ships. “There is a very high probability
that the capacity that is coming in 2019 and 2020 will meet the [passenger] growth. “There are new lines being talked about such as Virgin Voyages and Ritz-Carlton. They are additives to the whole cruise industry.”
17 January 2019
travelweekly.co.uk15
Q. If you won the Lottery, what is the first thing you would buy?
A. A new set of skis.
WITH RICHARD
Q. What is your favourite holiday destination? A. Costa Brava.
Q. What was the last book you read? A. Sapiens, which was very thought provoking.
Q. Tea or coffee? A. Definitely coffee.
Q. Who’s been your biggest influence in your career? A. The faculty at London Business School, which helped me turn my final year project into Iglu.
Q. What is your favourite film? A. The Great Escape – amazing that it is based on a true story.
Q. What’s your most prized possession? A. It has to be my mobile phone, it’s so (maybe too) indispensable.
Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received? A. Everybody knows something you don’t.
Q. If you weren’t in travel, what would you be doing? A. Hopefully something entrepreneurial.
S
N
P
O
E
C
T
I
D
A
E
I
I
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128
