Royal hails UK sales for new ship Icon Travel Weekly reporters
Royal Caribbean’s vice-president for the EMEA region has hailed the performance of UK agents in selling new ship Icon of the Seas, saying the UK is responsible for about 5% of bookings. Ben Bouldin said UK agents have
been “terrific” in driving sales for the first Icon-class ship, which was officially named at a ceremony in Miami on Tuesday. The 7,600-passenger vessel,
which sets sail on its maiden voyage on January 27, is the largest in the world, with eight “neighbourhoods”, 21 dining outlets, a water park, 28 room categories and the line’s first swim-up bar, Swim & Tonic. Bouldin said the timing of the
ship’s launch was “unfortunate” as it clashes with the peak selling season, but he was optimistic more UK agents would have the opportunity to sail on Icon in the coming months. “The timing of this particular
launch versus some others hasn’t really lent itself to whipping up a frenzy of agents coming here because it’s peaks in the UK,” he said. “So we haven’t had as many [on
board] but we have had huge interest and demand. We’ve been working very closely with [agents] and I’m delighted to say the UK market is probably supplying about 5% of sales for Icon, which is terrific. We’re really excited about that continuing as the class evolves.” The vessel, which is the first in Royal’s fleet to be powered by
I’m delighted to
say the UK market is probably supplying about 5% of sales for Icon, which is terrific
liquefied natural gas, had been designed with a “laser focus” on the family market, Bouldin said, with nearly 80% of the cabins able to accommodate up to five people, providing the “perfect canvas” for multigenerational travel. Bouldin urged agents to capitalise
on the increased desire for family travel, and to highlight to customers the dedicated zones for different age groups, such as the Surfside
neighbourhood designed for families with children aged under six, and adult-only section The Hideaway. Royal Caribbean Group chief
executive Jason Liberty described Icon of the Seas as the “biggest, baddest ship on the planet”, adding: “We feel like all the new features and spaces we’ve created are just right.” Icon of the Seas will operate two
seven-night round-trip itineraries from Miami, both of which will call at Royal Caribbean’s private island destination in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Watch our ship tour of Icon of the Seas at:
travelweekly.co.uk/media
EasyJet holidays outlines expansion and trade activities
Samantha Mayling
EasyJet holidays is planning to recruit “two or three” more trade distribution managers to support more activities for agents, including a ‘Big Juicy Fam’. The operator has seen “a number
of record-breaking sales days” this month, with trade sales accounting for their biggest share yet of overall performance. Natasha Marson, head of trade
distribution, could not reveal details of the fam trip but said: “We’re about to start ramping up our
6 25 JANUARY 2024
communication on that. We’ve got a great concept. It’s very creative.” Agents who make bookings
in January and February are automatically entered into a draw to win one of 20 places available. The fam is one of a range of peaks
perks. Others include a £5 booking incentive, daily prizes such as Samsung soundbars, Amazon Echo devices and shopping and holiday vouchers, plus a weekly holiday prize. The trade distribution team
has been delivering ‘Orange Aid’ goodie bags to agencies, packed with sweet treats.
It currently works with more than
5,000 agents and Marson said: “That’s only going to get bigger and better.” The trade support team has
expanded from two a year ago to five and Marson aims to add two or three trade distribution managers to the current four: Adrian Marpole, John Docherty, Dom Carrick and Gemma Hussey, who was recently promoted from its customer team. “We want more face-to-face
activity with agents in branches, shops and contact centres,” said Marson. “We want to look after homeworkers as well.”
Last year’s Big Orange Party; (inset) Natasha Marson
Marson, who joined easyJet
holidays just before Christmas after four years at Hays Travel, thanked agents for their “incredible” peaks performance. She said bookings were “very
strong” for May to July, with Spain accounting for a quarter of summer beach sales and Amsterdam the top city break. Families account for more than a third of beach bookings. Further trade plans include
improvements to the trade portal, more training, Team Orange On Tour events and a new “spin” for its second Big Orange Party.
travelweekly.co.uk
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