NEWS SPECIAL REPORT
River views are a travelmarvel
APT sister brand hosts 40-plus agents on fams. Kelly Ranson reports A
PT and Travelmarvel are showing their commitment to the trade by hosting more
than 40 travel agents on new ships before the end of 2022. Over the next two weeks, the
sister brands are hosting multiple fam trips for 43 agents from across the UK and Ireland on Travelmarvel river vessels Polaris and Vega, which launched this year alongside Capella. Speaking on board Travelmarvel
Vega on the Danube this week, Brad Bennetts, APT and Travelmarvel’s head of sales and business development, said: “I want to get as many agents out to see and experience the ships. These are our first fam trips post-pandemic and we really wanted to thank our trade partners for their support. “It’s something we want to
continue into next year too, both in 18 24 NOVEMBER 2022
Fam trip group in Budapest
Lipton for the north, Scotland and Ireland, and Robin Griffiths for the Midlands – as well as Becky Baumbach’s move to focus on homeworking agents. About 70% of the BDMs’ time
will be spent educating the trade on river cruises. Bennetts added: “The team will
Europe and when our ship launches on the Mekong in late 2023.” Bennetts added that assisting
agents with customer events was a key focus in 2023 with about 20 planned for the first six months of the year. The company has recently
bolstered its trade sales team, and Bennetts confirmed he is recruiting a further business development manager the south. This follows the appointments of two BDMs – Koral
be really focused on supporting agents and giving them the tools to book a river cruise and the confidence to target their database – not on mass but really getting the demographic right for the product.” In terms of river cruise sales for
2023, Bennetts said Travelmarvel’s eight-day itineraries were extremely popular from June onwards, with September 2023 already 80% sold. Meanwhile, for APT, he said
many customers were booking longer-duration trips to make up for holidays missed during the pandemic.
AGENTS’ VIEWS
“I really like the small-group feel the company has. For solo or
apprehensive travellers, I would confidently sell this [T
ravelmarvel
Vega] to them; they can have their hand held throughout the trip and socialise with the friendly crew and other passengers easily.” Mark Beattie, personal travel consultant, Off Broadway Travel
It’s great to get the onboard knowledge and also learn
the difference between APT and Travelmarvel products. The luxury feel of the ship really surprised me – given it’s marketed as a four-star, I have found everything from the decor to the service to be amazing.” Nicole Henshall, store manager, Kuoni Winchester
“It’s my first river cruise and it felt like a floating boutique
hotel. I really loved the relaxed atmosphere and the itinerary.” Alison Ryan, travel specialist, Miles Morgan Travel, Portishead
travelweekly.co.uk
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