NEWS THE INTERVIEW
QUICK fire
Where are you from? A proud Mancunian
The last book you read? Leading, by Alex Ferguson
Favourite holiday destination? St Ives, Cornwall
What do you enjoy doing while on holiday? With three kids aged five and under – if a couple of them are asleep, I would have a lovely seafood lunch
got pulled back to the steel. “We have added more suites,
public spaces and dining venues. It means that we are at the higher end of the market and the customer has a choice of facilities. “We have spent the equivalent
of what many operators spend on a new ship. We are not trying to be the biggest; we are trying to be the best.”
Beating Brexit Uniworld sales have seemingly been unaffected by consumer uncertainty in the market as the Brexit saga continues. Bar around 10 days towards the end of March, Uniworld has done “unbelievably well”, according to Townson. “We are 50% up year on year,” he
says. “People are talking about Brexit and a soſt market, but we have found the complete opposite. “We did see a bit of a slowdown
towards the end of March, but now we are really seeing it pick up. It is all about cut-through. You need to make it simple for the client to understand.” Townson says the “higher end”
travelweekly.co.uk
of the market is not worried about booking a holiday while the question of when the UK leaves the European Union remains unanswered. He says Uniworld works with
agents from “all sorts of sectors”. Two weeks ago, he signed a deal with luxury tour specialist Classic Collection Holidays, which launched its first river cruise programme this month. “Classic Collection never did river
[cruise] beforehand. It is exciting to be working with like-minded colleagues,” he says. He also highlights how Uniworld
is working more with Kuoni and independent Blackpool-based agency Te Cruise Village.
Trade plans Uniworld sells solely through the trade, so Townson is acutely aware of the vital role agents play. He adds that it was a challenge at
first to ensure full trade awareness of Uniworld. Tis summer, the line is doubling the number of agent places on its fam trips across Europe. One hundred agents will be invited on 10
trips split over five sailings starting from the end of July. Townson says: “We want to
showcase the product properly. Agents need to understand the ofoard and onboard products.” Townson says he was taken aback
by the impact of showing 200 agents an overhauled Joie de Vivre at last year’s Clia River Cruise Conference in Paris. “Tere were 200 agents walking
around five ships – including Joie de Vivre,” Townson says. “Tey are five- star brands, but we are a different level and it was lightbulb moment aſter lightbulb moment [for the agents].” Townson says he is forever
telling agents to “upsell” when the opportunity presents itself. “Do not just order-take,” he urges. Tis again demonstrates how
confident Townson is in the Uniworld product – 18 months aſter becoming the line’s managing director in the UK. Whatever action the Venetians
may choose to take, Townson clearly believes the quality of Uniworld’s product will ensure the line remains well-positioned for the years ahead.
Any hobbies? Golf and watching Man Utd – both poor at present
What has been your best experience working in travel? Working and meeting with some truly amazing and diverse people
Which one thing would you change about the sector? Stop river cruise lines overmarketing their products
What inspired you to work in travel? I sort of stumbled into it after school – how lucky!
Which three people in travel would you invite to a dinner party? Richard Branson, Michael O’Leary and Stanley Tollman – all amazing entrepreneurs in clearly different ways. It would certainly be a lively dinner.
20 JUNE 2019
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