Azamara Cruises – the small-ship cruise line renowned for Destination Immersion® – kickstarted the summer season by welcoming agents onboard Azamara Onward in Southampton last week, marking the start of its largest ever ship visit programme in the UK, demonstrating 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 relationships and ensure they have the right information and training to sell successfully”.
These intimate group visits will include 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.
