Crystal recruits regional sales managers for trade


Ella Sagar


Three regional sales managers will join Crystal Cruises in the coming weeks as the line increases its support for agents. Stephen Joyner, senior sales


manager for the UK and Ireland, said the appointments would “further Crystal’s commitment to the trade” as it also hosted partners on board its recently refurbished ships. One of the new recruits will be


based in the south, while another will be based in Glasgow and will cover Scotland, northern England and Ireland. The third will be based in central England and will cover an area north of the Home Counties. Referring to Crystal’s revival


under new owners, Joyner said: “It took a bit of time to integrate back into the UK market, but it is slowly picking up and in terms of sales we have seen a really positive season for 2024, especially in the last quarter.” He revealed sales for 2025


and the first quarter of 2026 were on track with targets, with Mediterranean cruises and longer voyages “selling well”. He added: “We are slowly and


surely building up momentum and this is why we need the UK trade – it is integral to our business.”


Travel Counsellors tops £1bn in sales for the first time


Travel Counsellors announced it had topped £1 billion in annual sales for the first time amid ongoing strong demand. Leisure sales during the 12


months to August 23 contributed £735 million to revenue, while it also reported £265 million in corporate sales, largely to small and medium-sized businesses. A significant portion of sales


Crystal’s Stephen Joyner and Georgia Starr (second right) pose with agents on board Crystal Symphony


Crystal was taken over by


Abercrombie & Kent in 2022 after previous owner Genting Hong Kong went bankrupt. Its two ships relaunched after refurbishment in September 2023, with Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity’s capacities reduced by 30% to 660 and 740 passengers respectively. To showcase the changes, Crystal


has hosted more than 200 agents this year with 186 attending ship visits and 18 joining a cruise from Iceland to Dover this month. It


Danny Waine to leave Abta to ‘pursue personal ambitions’


Abta head of membership Danny Waine is to leave after four years with the association. He is due to depart at the end of the year and Abta has begun the process of recruiting a replacement. Waine said: “While it’s bittersweet to be leaving, I have some personal ambitions I’m excited to pursue and will still be very much part of the travel industry family.”


8 26 SEPTEMBER 2024


also hosted its first consumer day. “Agents were surprised by how


much space you get per person. It is the most amount of space per guest at sea,” Joyner said. “We provide butler service, but the space is what makes us unique.” More fam trips and port visits


are being planned for next year, Joyner confirmed, with more trade incentives, offers and campaigns due in the coming weeks Itineraries for the second half of 2026 will go on sale in December.


Tributes paid to Scottish ‘travel legend’ Denise Holmes


Tributes have been paid following the death of Scottish industry stalwart Denise Holmes. She spent 17 years with Thomas Cook from 1985, working her way up to regional manager, and was an Emirates sales manager from 2004-19. Holmes also founded and ran a consultancy business and joined Qatar Airways in 2021.


– £364 million – was attributed to tailored packages, while its in-house tour operator business was further boosted by TC Journeys, one of the latest features built into its technology platform, which now offers more than 215 itineraries across 66 countries. More than 155,000 leisure


bookings in the 12 months to August were made at an average value of £4,717, while cruise accounted for nearly £50 million. In July, the company reported


a 31% rise in total transaction value to more than £941 million for the year to October 2023 and a rise of 14% in the first half of the 2024 financial year. It now aims to double revenues


in the next five years after reaching the £1 billion milestone. Globally, Travel Counsellors,


which operates in seven countries, added 297 new business owners in the past year, bringing the total to 2,121 at the end of August.


Ryanair to appeal ruling to cease denigrating eDreams Odigeo


Ryanair is to lodge an appeal after being ordered by a Spanish court to cease denigrating eDreams Odigeo and its Prime subscription scheme. Ryanair said it had instructed its lawyers to “seek clarity” from the Barcelona commercial court on the injunction, which has prevented the airline from using certain words to describe eDreams’ Prime product.


travelweekly.co.uk


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