First Class Travel Group CEO Dan Gathercole reveals how the booming luxury market inspired the company’s foray into cruise

Earlier this year, First Class Travel Group launched a new cruise brand to cater to the “growing demand” for luxury holidays among UK consumers.

The development brings together a portfolio of luxury travel brands, including tailor-made specialist First Class Holidays, tour operator African Pride, transfer service Knighton Reeve and long-haul cruise operator First Class Cruise. Will Payne catches up with CEO Dan Gathercole to find out more.

What was the reason behind the launch of a dedicated cruise business?

I know it sounds quite simple, but the name – First Class Cruise – fits perfectly into what we want to achieve in the cruise market. There’s also not a lot of operators offering what we do in the cruise-and-stay sphere, which is our key USP. We’re a long-haul destination specialist so it was a logical next step to launch our own cruise proposition which we can bolster with additions from our other brands. We saw a gap in the market and we’re already doing some cruises already in Alaska, the Kimberley and the Indian Ocean.

How are luxury cruise sales tracking so far in 2025?

Through First Class Holidays we’re about 25-30 per cent up on cruise this year, and we’ve not really been pushing it. But with the launch of First Class Cruise, we can really enhance our focus on this section of the market. Our average age for First Class Holidays is around 50-55, but it will vary per brand. We’re seeing a lot of interest with the likes of Holland America Line, Regent, Silversea, Seabourn and Ponant.

How will you differentiate yourself from the rest of the market?

We are tailored-made specialists. A lot of cruise companies will offer a standard pre- and post-package, but we can support agents in helping their customers build their dream holiday from start to finish. In some cases, it’s about working with customers to discover what they want from their holiday, even when they’re not sure themselves. If you have customers who are looking for a cruise holiday with added pre- and post-extras, then come to us.

What are your aspirations for First Class Cruise?

We want to work more closely with the cruise lines and help them build specific packages for luxury travellers. In the short term, it’s all about brand awareness and educating the trade on who we are and what we can offer. We’ve got a launch event in Dover, which we are running alongside Regent, Silversea, Holland America Line and Azamara on a Holland America Line ship. The market is cluttered so if we manage to get our USP out to agents, namely that we can offer tailor-made luxury cruise experiences and pre- and post-stays, that would be brilliant.