THE ADVISORY BOARD 60
seconds with... Paul Cleary
managing director, Caribtours
Q. Caribtours celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. How are you marking the occasion? I will be taking the entire Caribtours team to beautiful Barbados for a weekend in December. We have a beach party planned at St Peter’s Bay.
Q. How has Caribtours evolved over its four decades? From a small pamphlet advertising only Jamaica back in 1979 we have evolved into a major force in luxury travel. Today, 50% of our business now travels to the Indian Ocean, Arabia, Latin America and Europe. And we have expanded with an office in Cheshire, another in Belfast and one in Dublin.
Q. How have sales been this year? In what remains a difficult market for all of us, we are pleased [to say] we are tracking at 12% ahead of 2018.
Q. Which destinations are selling best via the trade? Barbados is our number-one seller followed closely by Saint Lucia. However, the fastest-growing markets for us are Greece, Spain and Portugal.
Q. You added Europe two years ago. How has it fared? We have been delighted with the support we have received from the trade. It has been a revelation, if I’m honest. As a traditionally long-haul luxury player, having a European programme has really provided us with excellent business over the summer months. We are still only scratching the surface – we are already planning on contracting new areas such as the Balearics, Italy, Croatia and Montenegro.
Q. Are you likely to add any further destinations? Yes. For 2020, we have introduced Ibiza and Turkey and we have more exciting plans to be announced at Christmas.
Steering the Aspire Travel Club Our panel of travel professionals covers the
spectrum of the luxury market and plays a major role in helping Aspire Travel Club evolve
Amanda Matthews
Designer Travel
designertravel.co.uk
Kate Fenton 100% PURE New Zealand
newzealand.com/luxury
Andy Harmer
Clia UK & Ireland
cruiseexperts.org
Lynn Narraway
Seabourn
seabourn.com
Nicola McNeish
Celebrity Cruises
celebritycruises.co.uk
Priti Mehta
Oceania Cruises
oceaniacruises.com
Carole Short
Beaver Travel
beavertravel.com
Rick Milne
Carrier
carrier.co.uk
Jamie Loizou
AmaWaterways
amawaterways.co.uk
Stephen Winter Ponant
ponant.co.uk
Jeanne Lally
Travel Bureau
travelb.co.uk
Wendy Greenhalgh Accor
accorhotels.com
John Sullivan The Advantage
Travel Partnership
advantagemembers.com
aspiretravelclub.co.uk
SEPTEMBER 2019 ASPIRE 39
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