Cruise Plus to expand sales team amid bookings spike
Cruise Plus has announced plans to boost its sales team to 25 amid a 43 per cent spike in year-on-year bookings
The expansion will mark a 66 per cent increase in the firm’s partnerships team on the last three years.
Simon Applebaum, managing director of parent company dnata Travel Group UK, said Cruise Plus sales have grown by 48 per cent year-on-year.
“We have also found that the number of agents booking with us has grown by 14 per cent in the last 365 days, demonstrating agents are seeing the value in working with Cruise Plus,” he added.
The brand has posted growth across all cruise types in the last year, with a 70 per cent uptick in luxury sales, a 66 per cent boost in river bookings and a 53 per cent rise in expedition sales.
“Cruise Plus covers all sectors of the cruise market and is constantly seeking new products, it is only correct that we support our experts’ education to remain a market-leading operator and expand our team accordingly, in line with this demand,” Applebaum added.
To enhance these numbers further, dnata has more than 45 colleagues registered for the CLIA Masters programme, with eight having achieved the “cruise master” status and 12 who are ambassadors.
The company’s plans come despite increased pressure on business owners’ profit margins, with hikes in National Insurance Contributions and the national living wage forcing recruitment drives for many to be put on hold.
According to the Centre for Policy Studies, employers’ NICs for minimum wage employees will rise from £1,617 to £2,583, making 2025 the most expensive year on record for employers of minimum wage workers.
Meanwhile, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates that the changes will add 2 per cent to employers’ payroll costs. It forecasts that in the 2025/26 tax year, firms will pass 60 per cent of the higher costs onto workers and consumers, via lower real wages and higher prices, and absorb 40 per cent themselves in lower profits.
