NEWS ROUND-UP
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Z Former Super Break key account manager Wendy Cameron has
joined MSC Cruises as regional sales manager for Scotland & Northern Ireland, replacing Claire Smith who is now national training manager and new business partnership manager.
Z Kelly Cookes, the former head of Thomas Cook- owned Freedom Travel Group,
has joined The Advantage Travel Partnership as leisure director. Cookes had been promoted to head of commercial partnerships and sales planning at Thomas Cook shortly before its collapse. Her appointment follows the departure of group commercial director Paula Lacey last month.
Z Former Thomas Cook sales manager Helen Sutton is joining Great
Rail Journeys as business development manager for the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. She will be responsible for driving growth for all Great Rail Journeys’ brands through travel agents.
Z Ex-Hurtigruten explorer manager Danny Giles has been appointed expedition
sales manager at Silversea Cruises. w left Hurtigruten in September and starts his new role on October 21.
10
comment: “Getting back to the floor and selling holidays reminded me what I love about this industry” Gemma Antrobus, page 22
Agents get sneak preview of Viking expedition ships
Harry Kemble
Viking Cruises has given a sneak preview of its first expedition ships to trusted agents and loyal customers. Te two ships, 378-passenger
Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, will each have six decks, and are due to launch in 2022. Viking was due to release details of the ships in January, but images have emerged on online cruise forums. Te ships will have six cabin
categories, ranging from 269sq ſt Nordic Balcony cabins to a 1,448sq ſt Owner’s Suite. Both ships will carry Zodiacs, rib boats and kayaks. Te 260-strong crew will include
an expedition leader, ice navigator, a biologist, glaciologist and a naturalist. A Polar Code expert will also ensure adherence to strict regulations. Te ships will initially sail in the
Arctic and Antarctica. Antarctic itineraries will include a pre-cruise
Tromsø will be the departure port for Viking Polaris sailings to the Arctic
stay in Buenos Aires before boarding in Ushuaia, Argentina. Octantis will sail 13-day itineraries
from January 12, 2022. Arctic sailings will be round-trip
from Tromsø to Svalbard, Norway. Polaris will operate 13-day sailings from August 16, 2022. Te 672ſt-long ships will have a
Polar Class 6 hull, which will allow them to operate in the summer and autumn in the polar regions. Tey will also feature Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant, a spa and a library.
It is understood that Viking has an
option with Italian firm Fincantieri to build two more expedition ships aſter the launch of Octantis and Polaris. A Viking spokesperson confirmed
the line was “in the process of launching new expedition cruises” and said information had so far only been sent to “loyal past guests and their travel agents”. “We will unveil all details about
our new expedition product when it is publicly announced on January 15, 2020,” the spokesperson added.
CUNARD’S FIRST CUT:
Construction has officially started on a new Cunard ship after the first piece of steel was cut at a ceremony in Italy last week. The
as-yet-unnamed 3,000-passenger ship, which is due to launch in 2022, is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard. President
Simon Palethorpe promised agents would be “wowed” by the ship, which he described as a “forward- looking take” on the traditional British brand. Palethorpe (right) is pictured with Carnival
UK’s Josh Weinstein (left) and Gilberto Tobaldi, Fincantieri.
17 OCTOBER 2019
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Christopher Ison
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