CroisiEurope has its eyes firmly set on boosting its presence in the UK market, with new team members and a dedicated call centre.

In the last few months, CroisiEurope ­– which is Europe’s largest river cruise operator with more than 50 ships sailing on over 30 waterways worldwide ­– has signalled its intent to significantly grow its UK business.

The cruise line has invested in a new call centre to allow it to sell flight-inclusive packages in the UK for the first time.

The investment “opens up a number of new opportunities… and will enable the company to target new audiences and effectively grow the business in the UK”, the company said.

When the news was announced in February, CroisiEurope UK sales director John Fair said: “With strong sales and increased interest in our river, ocean, coastal and hotel barge products, now is the perfect time to invest in the UK and further reinforce our commitment to this very important market.

“We’re really excited to be working with Blue Water Holidays who will be managing our call centre.

“We’ve enjoyed a successful relationship with them for many years and I’m confident that they can help us with our expansion plans in the UK.”

Growing the CroisiEurope team

More was to come just a few weeks later, with the appointment of Janine Sykes in the new position of business development manager (BDM) for the north of England and Scotland.

Sykes, who started on 14 March, has spent the last 25 years working as a BDM in the travel industry, most recently with 3For Limited, where she represented Norwegian Cruise Line.

Sykes said: “I’m delighted to be joining the CroisiEurope team at such an exciting time, with the launch of the new call centre and the ability to offer ATOL-protected fly/cruise packages for the first time.”

Fair added: “Janine’s appointment clearly demonstrates our continued commitment, not only to growing the business, but to investing in the UK and supporting our agent partners in Northern England and Scotland.”

This investment in the UK team also comes at a time when CroisiEurope has unveiled a range of new cruises for this year.

For its ocean operation, the line is offering itineraries from the Moroccan coast to the Mediterranean, while coastal voyages will take place from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.

Guests will also be able to take a new hotel barge cruise from the Petite Seine to the Yonne, as well as hiking cruises in the Canary Islands and Corsica, and a three-night Christmas Markets cruise from Strasbourg to Basel that takes in the festive traditions of Alsace and Switzerland.

One-to-one with CroisiEurope’s John Fair

Why is now the right time to grow your UK business?

We have made an excellent start to 2023 and river cruise in general is returning to growth.

Taking those factors into consideration, along with the increased need for financially protected packages, we felt that this was the perfect time to make the investment in the new call centre.

How will your trade relationships evolve now this investment is forthcoming?

This new investment will open up new accounts, strengthen long standing relationships and give agents more confidence to book CroisiEurope.

What else can agents expect from CroisiEurope this year?

With the appointment of a new BDM, agents can expect more contact from us as well as more training opportunities and more offers.

How are sales looking at present?

I’m delighted to say that we have now returned to 2019 levels and are continuing to see good demand. Overall, 2023 looks as though it will be a strong and we will be putting 2024 itineraries on sale soon.

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