Ponant hopes Atol will ‘open door for partners’
Ella Sagar
Ponant is in the “final stage” of its bid to secure an Atol, which it hopes will open the door to more trade partners and help achieve “significant growth” in the UK. The upmarket expedition
cruise line began the process of gaining certification earlier this year with the aim of completing the application in the final quarter. Anthony Daniels, Ponant UK
and Ireland general manager, who joined the line in May 2024 from Hurtigruten, said it was “obvious” that securing bonding was required to make it easier for agents to package Ponant’s cruises with flights. “The number-one thing in
our control is securing this Atol licence,” he said. “It is something I have been going on about since I started and is not a short process. “We are [now] in the final
stage of our proposal, which will hopefully open the door for new trade partners to come to us. We know they require us to have the bond before we [can] move forward.” Daniels added that securing
an Atol would put Ponant in a “strong commercial position” while offering greater protection. In addition to gaining Atol
Le Commandant Charcot Inset: Anthony Daniels
certification, Daniels is planning several other changes that he claims will be “game-changing” for the brand in the UK. The line is hopeful of securing
an API (application programming interface) link – a type of software that enables applications to communicate with each other – which will give the trade a live feed of Ponant’s product availability and pricing, intended to make securing bookings and displaying promotions “smoother”. “Consistency in education”
for agents is another priority, said Daniels, with plans in place for
Government appoints new maritime and tourism ministers
Keir Mather, MP for Selby, has been appointed as maritime minister as part of a government reshuffle. Leading industry sources have said Mather will also take on responsibility for aviation following the departure of Mike Kane, but this has not been officially confirmed. Stephanie Peacock has been appointed as tourism minister, taking over the role formerly held by Sir Chris Bryant.
8 18 SEPTEMBER 2025
Ponant to be involved in Clia’s second expedition showcase next year. The line is also planning to launch
a programme of ship visits, fam trips and webinars in 2026 for UK agents, including a 48-hour “mini fam” trip to
see Ponant flagship Le Commandant Charcot in Reykjavik, Iceland. Daniels said these developments
would help make the UK “the valuable market we know it can be” and would be “a real game-changer for us”, adding: “We’re not far from being a lot easier to do business with. That is the core of everything we do: educating and supporting agents.”
Edwin Doran, pioneer of sports tourism, dies aged 79
Sports travel pioneer Edwin Doran, one of the founders of the predecessor of Aito, has died aged 79. He set up Rugby Travel in the 1960s, later renamed Edwin Doran Sports Travel, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Tui bought the sports business from Doran initially before subsequently selling it on again.
Celestyal credits package launch for rise in trade sales
Celestyal Cruises has reported “more agents than ever” are looking to work with the brand after it started selling packaged cruise holidays. The launch of Celestyal Travel
was announced at the Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards in July and had triggered an increase in trade sales, said UK managing director Janet Parton. “Since launching Celestyal Travel
we’re seeing more agents looking to work with us than ever before,” she told a Travel Weekly webcast. Celestyal has had a “really
strong year”, she added, with sailings around the Greek islands and the Gulf region performing well. She also reported “a really nice rise in bookings for 2026”. Parton revealed the rise in trade
engagement as she announced Hays Travel agent Leanne Buckingham had won a cruise of her choice in a competition organised in partnership with Travel Weekly to mark the launch of Celestyal Travel. To enter, agents had to watch
two webinars in the Celestyal Summer School series and answer a question hidden within them. Parton thanked those who entered and said: “We had hundreds of responses.”
Azamara’s UK leadership shifts to Siewers as Duff steps down
David Duff has stepped down from his role as managing director of Azamara Cruises. International chief sales officer David Siewers has assumed direct responsibility for the line’s activities in the UK and EMEA. The UK-based leadership team will now report to Siewers, whose job title will remain unchanged, as the brand “builds on its strategic growth in these key regions”.
travelweekly.co.uk
Janet Parton
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