Aurora Expeditions UK & Europe sales director Craig Upshall has left the expedition cruise line to take up a new role as cruise manager at the Qatar National Tourism Council.

Upshall, who joined Aurora from Rocky Mountaineer back in 2018, told Cruise Trade News that the position was an opportunity to develop Qatar as a cruise destination.

“It involves enticing cruise lines to come in and homeport there, as well as making additional stops through their itineraries. I’ll also be working with travel partners on pre and post packages,” he explained.

“I fly out on Sunday (18^th April), so I effectively start next week, with time to get my feet under the table and see what the lay of the land is and what the opportunities are.

“It’s a brand-new role and Qatar is gearing up for increased tourism, and the 2022 football World Cup is a good launchpad to launch Qatar to the world. It’s kind of a blank piece of paper, which excited me from a development point of view.

“There are new ships coming out and there’s an opportunity for the future, as cruise lines are more versatile than they have ever been in terms of their planning.”

During his time at Aurora, Upshall witnessed the introduction of the line’s new ships, Greg Mortimer, which launched in 2019, and Sylvia Earle, scheduled to sail in October 2021.

He added that his proudest achievement at the company was helping to drive growth in the European market, which has increased “from 10 per cent global share to 25 per cent”.

“I will miss the relationships I have built over that time and I enjoyed the expedition market,”he said. “I think it now gives someone the opportunity to build on the foundation. There’s a great team at Aurora to continue that work.”

Aurora Expeditions CEO Monique Ponfoort said: “Craig has been a very effective part of our European team and he has worked diligently over the past three years positioning Aurora Expeditions at the forefront of the specialist expeditionary cruise sector”.

“We wish Craig and his family every success as they begin their new adventure in Qatar.

“James (Jay) Turner, business development manager, will continue to build on Craig’s good work to support our valued trade partners.”