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Saga hastens date for second new-build vessel


Lee Hayhurst lee.hayhurst@travelweekly.co.uk


Over-50s cruise and escorted tours operator Saga has brought forward the launch of a second new-build ship by a year.


Healthy pre-registrations for


first new ship Spirit of Discovery, set to launch in 2019, prompted the line to confirm an option to build a second ship, 999-passenger vessel Spirit of Adventure, and for it to launch in 2020 instead of 2021. Last week, the operator also


unveiled customer membership scheme Saga Possibilities during a half-year trading update at which it reported a 63% increase in travel profits to £11.9 million. Saga returned to selling through


the trade in 2015. Jeannette Linfoot, Saga tour operations managing director, said agents now accounted for almost 10% of the company’s sales, and claimed third-party business would “go from strength to strength”. “The trade, from a commercial


point of view, is important to us,” she said. “We have invested in the trade team and do a lot of targeted marketing campaigns with partners. “There is a portion of the


demographic who want to book with their travel agent and we see consistently strong year-on-year growth in that channel. You have to listen to your customers. “We have aggressive plans to


grow our business and there is a piece of the pie for everyone. “If there are independent agents


not currently working with us, our trade team is happy to meet them to see how we can work together in a more individualised way.” Linfoot said Saga Possibilities, launched with Apple, Nuffield Health, wine retailer Majestic and restaurant chain Prezzo as partners, was an exciting development for agents because it would drive brand loyalty. Saga, which recently unveiled a


‘Keep Doing’ rebrand to appeal to more-active customers, enjoys a 70% repeat customer rate.


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How Cunard’s fleet will look in 2022


STORIES HOT


Two more luxury lines boost fleets


Amie Keeley amie.keeley@travelweekly.co.uk


Two luxury cruise lines have this week revealed plans to expand their fleets.


Cunard will add a new ship to its


fleet for the first time in 12 years to meet “growing demand from all corners of the world”, while Royal Caribbean Cruises will buy P&O Cruises’ Adonia for its upmarket Azamara Club Cruises brand. Cunard’s as-yet unnamed new 3,000-passenger ship – its biggest- ever vessel – will launch in 2022. It will join Queen Mary 2, Queen


Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, and will be the first time since 1998 that Cunard will have had four ships in service at the same time. Deployment and itineraries are


yet to be announced. A spokeswoman said: “Cunard


has had an exceptional year as we see growing demand and interest


from all corners of the world.” Adonia will join Azamara in


March 2018. It will be renamed Azamara Pursuit and will join


Artist’s impression of Spirit of Adventure and, inset, Saga boss Jeannette Linfoot


two similar-sized ships, Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest. The 704-passenger ship will


undergo refurbishment before Azamara takes delivery. Details about deployment and itineraries will be released in October, with its first sailings planned from July. Last year, Larry Pimentel,


president and chief executive of Azamara Club Cruises, described extra capacity in the luxury cruise sector as “too much, too quick and too fast”, and warned it would drive down prices. His comment was played down


this week by Richard Twynam, Azamara’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, who said: “Larry was speaking at a Clia event at that snapshot in time. Our business is going through a fantastic time in terms of sales and brand recognition, so the time is right to grow the brand.” Other upmarket lines with ships


on order include Silversea, Crystal Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Ponant, Scenic, Seabourn and Star Clippers.


28 September 2017 travelweekly.co.uk 5


“Our business is going through a fantastic period. The time is right to grow the brand”


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