Augustus Lonsdale, head of UK sales at Windstar Cruises, explains his key aims in the role and what travel agents can expect.
When asked what tempted him to leave AmaWaterways after seven years and join Windstar Cruises, Augustus Lonsdale focuses on the “absolutely massive” opportunity that the line has in the UK market.
“The laid-back but luxurious style of the cruises, the destinations we sail and the size of the ships all suit UK consumers and agents so much. To be the one to deliver that is a very special opportunity indeed,” he says.
“Windstar is a company I have chosen to sail with myself and I’ve been with the company three times in the past, including my last cruise to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal.
“When they came to me to talk about the role, it wasn’t hard to see myself working for them as I already had so much passion for what the company delivers.”
In his job as head of UK sales, Lonsdale has been tasked with providing strategic leadership to drive the line’s activity in the UK and build relationships with new and existing trade partners.
That’s no small challenge, but after developing a range of skills across sales, product, marketing and commercial strategy in his previous role, Lonsdale and the wider team are well placed to rise to the occasion.

Windstar ‘easy to sell’
A key task for Lonsdale is “growing our distribution and letting people know how easy it is to sell Windstar”.
He continues: “We have great pricing out there and it’s my job to make sure that we identify those opportunities and share them with agents, as well as a super-knowledgeable and experienced team dedicated to Windstar through our general sales partner.”
Boosting trade relationships is fundamental to the line’s overall strategy, not least because following a $250million Star Class Plus programme, which involved lengthening its ships, it has more capacity to fill.
“It’s critical we find more different sources for our guests,” Lonsdale says. “The UK is therefore an important market to us as it has so much potential to grow.
“To grow sales in the UK, we understand travel agents will be critical to us. From the conversations I’ve had in the short time I’ve been with the company, we’ve had amazing interest in the brand.
“Because we are so different, be that our sailing ships, our innovative itineraries or even just our size, which is a rarity in the cruise industry nowadays, I’m confident that once agents know what they need to know – how to book us, what sets a Windstar cruise apart and just how good value our product is – they will start to see that many of their clients really would suit Windstar.”
Support for agents is available through a travel agent hub, as well as regular emails and flyers, not to mention Lonsdale’s desire to share his knowledge in person at events.
He adds: “Getting on the ships and understanding tangibly what a small ship really is, and how to deliver a product of the highest quality in that setting, is the most important thing we can do to educate.
“I am genuinely excited to take as many agents with us as possible.”