A Scarborough-based travel agent is hoping to bolster her ties with the local community with her first-ever dedicated cruise show

Rachel Dartnall-Smith, owner of Pebble Shore Travel, is expecting to welcome 300 guests and 12 ocean and river providers to the event in Scarborough Market on 15 May.

“As a small business, hosting the cruise show event provides us with an opportunity to showcase the allure of cruise holidays while bringing the community together,” she told Cruise Trade News.

“We want to create an inclusive and accessible platform for people to explore the excitement of cruise travel while fostering a sense of local pride and engagement.” If the event proves a success, Dartnall-Smith will look to make the show an annual occurrence.

“We want the show to inform, inspire, and engage attendees with the world of cruise travel. As it’s our first event there’s a lot of nerves but the excitement has started to build and we are confident that the event will be a resounding success,” she added.

‘There are a lot of nerves around the cruise event – but we’re confident’

To promote the show, Dartnall-Smith and her team have implemented a marketing strategy which includes both online and offline tactics, such as leveraging social media platforms to generate “buzz and excitement” with targeted advertising campaigns.

The agency is also distributing flyers and posters throughout the local area, as well as working with local media – including a two-week radio campaign – to spread the word.

Dartnall-Smith’s event comes after CLIA revealed holidaymakers from the UK and Ireland took 2.3 million cruise holidays last year, surpassing the highest previous annual number by around 600,000 passengers.