Celestyal Cruises has announced the appointment of David Noyes as non-executive chairman.

Noyes has more than 35 years of travel industry experience and was previously CEO at Carnival UK, as well as executive vice-president operations for P&O Cruises and Cunard.

He will provide leadership to the Celestyal board as well as guidance and support to the cruise line’s executive team, led by CEO Chris Theophilides.

The appointment, which follows investment from leading global private investment firm, Searchlight Capital Partners, will “further strengthen Celestyal Cruises’ evolution and growth strategy”, according to a statement.

Theophilides said: We are delighted that David has joined the board as chairman and I am confident that his experience and profound knowledge of travel and cruise in particular, will prove invaluable as we work towards our strategic goals of growth and fleet renewal.”

Noyes added: “I am excited to join Celestyal Cruises and look forward to working closely with Chris and his team as we welcome back our guests this spring.

“With the backing of Searchlight Capital, this is an exciting time to be joining the Celestyal team, as we look to build upon the brand’s position as the leading cruise operator in the eastern Mediterranean offering our uniquely authentic, award-winning service and personalised experiences to our guests from around the world.”

Back in February, Celestyal launched a new travel agent reservations platform.

The system provides access to pre and post packages with both mandatory and optional components, rule-based pricing, payment and cancellations schedules, shore excursions and on-board experiences.