60 | TRADE NEWS If Only Luxury roadshow NI Travel News’ Emma
attended the If Only Luxury Roadshow 2024 at the Grand Central Hotel, Belfast. The roadshow showcased If
Only... and partners to travel agents from across Northern Ireland, to discuss everything
luxury.
10 luxury suppliers and agents sat down for an evening of speed networking, drinks, and a delicious meal.
Congratulations to the agents who won amazing prizes on the night.
Azamara Cruises Kickstart Summer Season with Agent visits Onboard – NI Dates Included!
AZAMARA Cruises kickstarted
the summer season by welcoming agents
UK, demonstrating the onboard Azamara Onward in
Southampton, marking the start of its largest ever ship visit programme in the
company’s continued support for the trade community. The summer programme will see the UK Sales Team welcome more agents onboard than ever before, giving over 500 travel advisors the chance to experience the product first-hand and enhance their knowledge of the brand. A total of eleven visits will take place at eight different ports, spanning England, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, with both loyal and prospective trade partners in attendance. Stuart Pearce, Head of Trade Sales UK & Ireland at Azamara Cruises comments: “We’re really excited to be reaching a record number of agents this summer and to be welcoming many advisors onboard an Azamara Cruises’ ship for the very first time”.
He continues:
“We look forward to these visits every year – they are a great opportunity for agents to immerse themselves in the Azamara Cruises offering and for us to spend valuable time with our partners, to maintain and build
www.nitravelnews.com NCL Dawn Agent Visit
NI Travel News joined agents onboard the beautiful Norwegian Dawn who made her way into Belfast. Treated to an extensive tour and meal, agents were given a real feel of the ship whilst passengers disembarked their British Isles’ cruise to explore NI for the day/ Agents were given insightful information on NCL’s three main selling points- Dining, entertain and Free at Sea. A huge thank you both Aaron and Richard
for hosting
us today and providing an excellent insight into the world of Norwegian Cruise Line.
relationships and ensure they have the right information and training to sell successfully”.
These intimate group visits will include
Regent and all it’s Splendor...
AGENTS were invited onboard Regent’s Seven Sea Splendor on 17 June 2024 when it docked in Belfast NI Travel News’ Danielle and Erin were also in attendance alongside local NI Agents to embark on a tour and enjoy a lunch onboard. During the tour, the pair got to learn
about dining experiences, and suite offering onboard Regent’s Seven Seas with a tour around the Concierge Suite, Penthouse suite, and the Grand Suite.
a full tour of the ship, from staterooms to the entertainment and dining venues, and a three-course lunch at the specialty restaurant, Aqualina. Hosted by the UK Sales Team from Azamara Cruises, including Nicola Singleton, Moira Gregson and Peter Ryan, agents will also receive a brand update with tips and tricks on how to use Azamara Cruises’ new booking system. After Southampton, visits will then take place in Dublin (1st July), Cobh (3rd July) and Belfast (8th July). Azamara Quest® will arrive in Greenock (21st July) then make her way to Leith (14th-15th August), before travelling to Aberdeen (16th August), Liverpool (22nd August) and finally Southampton (3rd September), meeting with Azamara Onward®. This programme is the latest in series of announcements from Azamara Cruises to increase its support for UK trade partners, as the company continues to invest in leading international markets, such as the UK. It follows news of a new UK Call Centre that launched this month to offer more tailored support to agents and consumers based locally, and a bolstered series of Seminars at Sea. The team are also set to host an additional ship visit onboard Azamara Quest® at CLIA’s oversees trade event in Gibraltar on the 15th September. For more information on Azamara Cruises, please visit
www.Azamara.com
Scenic Eclipse
NI Travel News’ Danielle joined agents onboard Scenic Eclipse whilst docked in Belfast. Agents were treated to a tour and meal onboard the luxury ‘yatcht’. Used for both luxury and discovery, Scenic Eclipse is home to a helipad and helicopter, ultra-luxury suites and 10 ultimate dining experiences to enjoy at sea.
July/August 2024
CRYSTAL INCREASES FOCUS ON UK MARKET WITH SALES PROMOTION
AS Crystal continues to target growth in the UK and across Europe, the brand is increasing its focus and support for its trade
partners with the promotion of Stephen Joyner to Senior Sales Manager, UK and Ireland. In his new role, Joyner will continue to focus on growing trade distribution and commercial reach while enhancing Crystal’s support for trade partners. The team has also recently welcomed Giorgio Costa as a Regional Sales Manager for Europe, a seasoned cruise sales leader specialising in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Turkey and other key European markets.
The company has also announced that as of 1st May, the North American trade reservations team is exclusively based in the Miami headquarters. Additionally, localised teams are now completely based in London and Melbourne to support key global markets.
Providing personalised
service and enhancing operational efficiency underscored this decision ensuring travel partners will receive assistance whenever needed.
“Bringing our trade reservations team in- house is a strategic move that underscores our commitment to providing the highest level of service to our travel partners and guests,” said SVP of Global Sales & Reservations for Crystal, Mary-Beth Meadowcroft. “By centralising our operations, we can ensure more consistent, efficient and personalised support which is crucial for fostering strong relationships and delivering the exceptional experiences that Crystal is known for.” o enjoy across the regions we operate in.” For more information visit www.
crystalcruises.com
Royal Caribbean International Announce New Vice President for EMEA
ROYAL Caribbean International
has
officially announced that Gerard Nolan has been appointed Vice President, Europe Middle East Africa (EMEA.) Succeeding Ben Bouldin, who is set to become the president of Royal Caribbean International China in August, Gerard will lead the day-to-day operations for the brand across EMEA, overseeing the sales, marketing and commercial teams.
Gerard has worked at Royal Caribbean Group within the Celebrity Cruises brand since 2016. During this time, he has held a variety of senior management roles, responsible for leading and driving commercial strategy. Most recently, he has had the position of Associate Vice President Commercial at Celebrity Cruises, overseeing EMEA and providing strategic support for the Australia and Asia Pacific regions. In
a statement, Gerard spoke on his
appointment, “I really can’t wait to start my new role at such an exciting time for Royal Caribbean. I’m looking forward to leading my talented new team and supporting our fantastic travel partners as we continue to drive the brand’s success across the EMEA region.”
Gerard is joining the Royal Caribbean International team at an incredibly exciting time for the brand, both across EMEA and globally. Icon of the Seas – the first of two new ship launches for this year alone – continues to break records and last week the brand took delivery of Utopia of the Seas. Utopia is set to bring weekend energy with ultimate short getaways when it debuts in Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida this July. Royal Caribbean’s second Icon class ship, Star of the Seas, is poised to launch next summer, as well as the unveiling of the cruise line’s latest exclusive destination, Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in Nassau, The Bahamas, in 2025.
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