Princess Cruises will host a record-breaking 3,000 agents on board its vessels in 2024 as it looks to strengthen its ties with the trade
Ushering in a new era for the line’s sales operation, recently appointed UK and Europe sales director Hayley Moore will look to put Princess front of mind for agents ahead of what is tipped to be a busy year for the brand, with the launch of new Sphere class ship Sun Princess in February.
“I’m astounded at some of the established partnerships we’ve got with the sales team, and that’s really important to me, because it tells me the agents that have engaged with our brand love Princess and want to sell it again,” she said.
Moore and her sales team will ensure those agents unable to join the ship visit programme remain in the loop with frequent on the road visits and training events.
“We are always open to new ideas,” she added. “We listen to our agent partners, so if there are other opportunities to get them on board through ideas they bring us, we’re open to that as well.
“Cruise is a specific experience, so it can be quite a hard sell at times, which is why it’s really important that we get agents to experience our product.”
Princess Cruises sees spike in Mediterranean sailings
Moore attributed Princess’s successful start to the year to the early launch of its wave campaign, which was aimed at making clients consider a 2024 holiday before the Christmas break.
In a bid to ensure Princess doesn’t suffer from post-campaign fatigue, the line has strategically launched several trade-focussed incentives throughout its peak season campaign to keep agents engaged.
“The successful start to the year really underpins the fact there is demand there for 2024 and 2025,” Moore explains. “Given that we’ve got product on sale into 2025, I’m not surprised we are seeing such a strong performance.”
Fly-cruise Mediterranean sailings and ex-UK departures continue to prove popular for Princess, bolstered by the addition of Sun Princess and Star Princess in February 2024 and summer 2025 respectively.
Moore to grow trade sales team in line with demand
While praising the recently strengthened Princess trade sales team for continuing to forge “lasting relationship” with agents across the UK, Moore remains eager to grow the line’s presence even further in the coming years.
“I’m confident, given the demand that we’re seeing across the markets I look after, we will have further growth in 2024,” she predicted.
“If we see demand continue at current growth projections regarding agents, interest and cruises, I hope we can grow as a department. But the way I’m feeling about the trajectory now is super positive.”