Last week Azamara Cruises welcomed 52 agents from across the UK to Liverpool for a ship tour of Azamara Journey, the largest in the line’s history

The trade activation, which saw double the attendance of Azamara’s previous ship visits, is one of 13 planned tours for agents set to take place this year, with 350 participants currently signed up.

As well as receiving a tour of Azamara Journey, agents got to sample the onboard cuisine with a four-course meal in Aqualina, the ship’s specialty restaurant

The line made clear its plans to grow its trade engagement in the UK at the CLIA Conference in Southampton in May, after opening a dedicated call centre, which lead to a 67 per cent uptick in bookings.

Stuart Pearce, director of sales UK & Ireland, Azamara Cruises, said: “Our ship visits are always popular with agents, but this one in Liverpool was exceptionally well attended, with twice the number of agents we usually host on a visit.

“The enthusiasm was infectious – agents were genuinely excited about what they discovered aboard. Having agents spend time with us and experience the ship first-hand is always the best way for them to see what we offer our guests, and the feedback was really positive.”

David Duff, managing director, UK & EMEA at Azamara Cruises, added: “Agent engagement plays a major part in our UK strategy, and we are delighted to have achieved nearly 1800 agent engagements in the last few months.

“From hosting agents at travel industry conferences and staging seminars at sea, to our Sister’s Meet event in Barcelona earlier this year, we remain committed to giving our trade partners the tools and knowledge they need to sell Azamara with confidence.”

Remaining ship visits this year include Dundee (25 July); Leith, Edinburgh (16 August); Cobh (4 September); and Portsmouth (6 September), all aboard Azamara Journey.