NEWS ROUND-UP Sovereign to bolster sales team
Amie Keeley
amie.keeley@
travelweekly.co.uk
Sovereign Cruise Club is planning to recruit eight more members of staff after reporting a 15-fold increase in revenue since 2005.
The luxury cruise agent currently
employs 16 call centre staff at its office in Reading and will move to larger premises – a converted barn in Grazeley, Berkshire, with space for 30 staff – in June. The company is also celebrating
its 20th anniversary this year and will host a party at Claridge’s in London on July 6 for VIP clients and cruise line executives. Managing director Stefan Shillito
bought the business in 2005 when it employed just two staff. The company says it is one of the top-selling agents globally for
Jet2holidays reports ‘storming’ demand for Turkey for 2019
Demand for Turkey for summer 2019 is “storming away”, according to Jet2holidays. Sales to Antalya were so
strong in some weeks it had become the operator’s second- most popular destination for next summer after Spain, head of trade Alan Cross revealed. Jet2holidays added Izmir to
its 2019 Turkey programme last month. It was already featuring Dalaman, Bodrum and Antalya. “Spain is our number-one destination,” Cross said. “[The top resort] alternates between Benidorm, Majorca and Tenerife every week, but for the last six weeks Antalya and Bodrum have been moving up and Antalya has been second on some occasions. Turkey is storming away.” Meanwhile,
Jet2.com and its
JET2: The group has been named Which? travel brand of the year
tour operating arm Jet2holidays have been named Which? travel brand of the year – the first time an airline has won the award. Also shortlisted for top
travel brand were HF Holidays, Premier Inn and Riviera Travel. The Which? awards recognise businesses that have achieved positive change and delivered excellent products and services that score highly in Which? research and testing.
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travelweekly.co.uk 31 May 2018
“Passengers become more discerning. To fulfil that shift, we need more luxury ships”
SHILLITO: Sovereign Cruise Club will this year book its 500,000th luxury cruise passenger
Cunard and Seabourn, and will book its 500,000th luxury cruise this year. Shillito said he welcomed
increased capacity in the luxury cruise sector, adding that he had a waiting list for the first Ritz-
Carlton ship, launching this year.
Seabourn added its fifth ship, Seabourn Ovation, this month, while Cunard, Silversea, Ponant and Crystal Cruises all have ships on order. “For a long period, about 10
years, the mainstream cruise sector has been building large ships and during that time there were very few new luxury ships – but we’re now seeing them come through,” he said. “The mass market often wants
to upgrade. Passengers become more discerning and want more exclusivity. To fulfil that shift, we need more luxury ships. “I’m very excited about
Ritz-Carlton. We’ve already got people on the waiting list. “Around 70% are small-ship
luxury travellers and 30% are luxury land customers.”
Jet2 to host 270 agents at four-day conference in Antalya in November
Jet2holidays will host 270 agents at its annual trade conference in Antalya (pictured) in November. Unlike last year’s event, there
will be one, extended four-day conference, from November 26-29. Top-performing agents will be
invited to the event, to be held at the five-star Gloria Golf Resort. Delegates will learn about how
they can work with Jet2holidays to promote and sell its holidays and hear about Jet2holidays’ vision from senior figures including chief executive Steve Heapy. There will be presentations, supplier showcases, a gala dinner and awards. Head of trade Alan Cross said
Gloria Golf Resort had been a “very good seller” for the operator for the past four years. Cross said: “When we were choosing a resort we saw four properties but Gloria Golf stood out for the hotel and its facilities.”
The hotel said Jet2holidays was
its biggest client in the UK, having taken over from Cook. Cross said there would be a guest
appearance from a celebrity. He would not reveal who but hinted: “He’s a former musician who has evolved into a reality TV star.” Delegates will be flown to
Antalya on chartered flights using the company’s new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with departure airports to be confirmed soon.
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