60 | TRADE NEWS
Lloyd Cross Joins Agency Consortium as CCO
MOVING from Gulf Air Holidays, Lloyd Cross has confirmed his new job role with agency consortium The Travel Network Group. The previous Jet2Holidays General Manager has joined the group as Chief Commercial Officer, replacing Vim Vithaldas who moves into Chief Strategy Officer. Speaking on the appointment, CEO Gary Lewis said: “These changes reflect how our business is evolving and how we continue to bring our strengths together to deliver for our members and business partners.
“Vim has played an important role in shaping the business over
many years and in his new role as Chief Strategy Officer, will continue to support the Group’s long-term strategic direction and growth ambitions.
“With Lloyd joining us, and with the strength of the team already in place, we are well-positioned for what comes next. “And as we move into this next
phase, I would like to thank John for his contribution during his time with us. He has supported the
continued development of
our cruise proposition, and we are grateful for the role he has played in our journey.”
VIRGIN Voyages announce the introduction of its first AI crew assistant Rovey.
The introduction is part of Virgin Voyages
long-term AI
initiative built with Google Cloud.
Rovey is an AI travel planning assistant that will be a tool for travel agents as it navigates cruise booking. Agents can rely on Rovey for planning support offering human like recommendations based on customers travel style, timing and preferences. Nirmal Saverimuttu, CEO of
Virgin Voyages said: “We sail to more than 150 destinations, with 60+ itineraries on sale more than two years out. It’s a complex decision, and it matters. Our advisors care about getting it right for their clients. Rovey helps with that. She brings the
NI Travel News was delighted to be invited along to the ITT Future You Event in Belfast Met Titanic Quarter Campus! The event inspires new talents into the tourism, hospitality and events industry with a selection of events throughout the morning.
NI Travel News attend ITT Future You Event at Belfast Met
Titanic Quarter Campus
Assistant Manager from NI Travel News, Abbie Stothers, had the chance to speak to the group about her career journey and the team from NI Travel News exhibited to the students talking about the newspapers, BOOKIT and their own career journeys in the Travel & Tourism industry. The event also included hearing from a student panel about their growth since studying at the college and what their future career plans are. We were delighted to donate a £100 Amazon Voucher to one lucky student who participated throughout the event! A massive thank you and congratulations to the student led team from Belfast Met who delivered this event and to Cate Murdock and the wider team who invited us to take part!
most relevant options into focus and makes it easier to tailor recommendations
chief for clients.
That’s always our goal with AI: to free up processes in favour of human-to-human connections.” Nathan Rosenberg, brand experience,
marketing
and momentum officer at Virgin Voyages added: “The best First Mates we work with spend their time building relationships, not answering the same foundational questions every week. When a Sailor arrives having already worked through the basics, the conversation becomes about the person and less about the itinerary. That is where trust is built. That is what drives a Sailor to rebook and to send their friends. Rovey shows up first so the First Mate can finish strongest.”
A Majestic Visit to Belfast! NI Travel News Hops Onboard Princess Cruises
NI Travel News’ Danielle was delighted to join agents on board Majestic Princess on Friday 15th May as the impressive 330m-long cruise liner docked in Belfast. Agents were hosted by Abbie Cook & Evie Philp, who welcomed attendees onboard and presented an overview of Majestic Princess and the wider Princess Cruises brand. Across the fleet, Princess Cruises cur- rently operates 17 ships, sailing to all seven continents and to more than 345 destinations worldwide, giving agents plenty of choice to find the right itiner- ary to suit their clients’ needs. Majestic Princess carries more than 3,500 guests and has a crew of over 1,300 from across the globe. The ship itself features
19 decks, offering plenty of space and facilities for guests to enjoy throughout their cruise. Majestic Princess is part of the line’s Royal Class, a collection of ships known for their size, beautiful fur- nishings and a broad range of facilities on board. Throughout the tour, the group visited the central Piazza, several spaces, loung- es, entertainment venues, kids’ clubs, the relaxing Lotus Spa as well as the pool deck, which features movies under the stars and the impressive Hollywood Pool club. An interesting feature onboard is the Chinese writing, which is still visible in some areas of the ship. Originally de- signed for the Chinese market, Majes- tic Princess sailed in China until 2020
www.nitravelnews.com
June 2026
Virgin Voyages Introduces its First Ever AI Crew Assistant
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