Travel Counsellors is adding a dedicated cruise platform to its in-house booking platform to capitalise on “super growth in sales” from the market.
The company has invested £1 million to launch the platform, which will be integrated into Phenix in spring, forming part of an overall investment of £18.5 million in the homeworking agency’s tech platform this year.
Chris Barker, director of digital products, unveiled the new platform at the company’s annual conference in Liverpool, explaining it was prompted by sustained strong performance in cruise bookings.
“Cruise is our fastest-growing product and it aligns perfectly with the increasing demand we’re seeing for both premium and experiential travel,” he told delegates.
“I’m delighted to announce an investment of £1 million in building a brand-new cruise platform in Phenix.”
Barker explained the cruise platform will “give all travel counsellors from specialists to new-to-cruise a chance to grab an even bigger share of this high spending, high repeat market”.
He added it will give business owners access to an expanded range of cruise lines, along with “state-of-the-art content and technology”.
Speaking to Travel Weekly during the conference, Travel Counsellors chief executive Steve Byrne echoed Barker in saying cruise sales have been “super positive” this year as the product offers “incredible value for money”.
“We’ve seen super growth in cruise; I think it’s probably the fastest-growing individual product of scale,” he added.
“That value for money is there whether you choose ex-UK, a fly-cruise or cruise and land combinations.”
