TTNG Cruise Club to use buying power to sell banks of cabins

The Travel Network Group’s Cruise Club plans to take allocations of cabins on cruise ships to capitalise on the buying power of its consortium.

 

John Wilson, who started as cruise sales director in May, said the TTNG groups initiative would enable the consortium to tap into its 1,200 members who would be able to tailor packages based on the sailings.

 

“We can sell X amount of Caribbean sailings and cruise lines can work with us, [giving us] a bank of cabins,” he said during the consortium’s conference in Bucharest.

 

Individual agencies will then be able to “personally localise” cruises for their clients, by adding on flights from their local airport, for example.

 

The scheme is one of several developments at The Cruise Club which aims to increase cruise sales across ocean, river and expedition sectors.

 

“Capacity is growing across all those areas; there is more capacity and more demand,” said Wilson, who also unveiled plans to host a cruise conference early next year.

 

Ocean cruise currently accounts for 20% of the consortium’s sales, up from 18% in 2024, with river cruise accounting for 4%, up from 3% last year.

 

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Wilson described The Cruise Club as an inhouse operator which is becoming a one-stop shop for cruises – and is a free part of the membership offering.

 

“Please consider The Cruise Club – we can sell anything for you: fly-cruises, cruise-only, packages or better, to give clients something different and extra,” he urged delegates.

 

The Cruise Club website enables detailed searches and can quickly produce “stunning and personalised” quotes, with deck plans, immersive videos and details of hotels and flights.

 

It can offer agents exclusive rates, support with events, an incentive scheme and marketing assets such as e-shots and magazines. Out-of-date-range pricing for hotels and air is also available.

 

Wilson urged agents to “get out of the sea of sameness” by selling on value rather than price, and offering extra services which improve the holiday experience and drive more revenue.

 

He used the example of a customer beginning their cruise in Barcelona, Rome or Venice, who could have a better holiday by staying over in the city before their departure instead of just getting a transfer straight from the arrival airport to the cruise ship.

 

Wilson also said he is in the early stages of planning a TTNG cruise conference which he hopes can take place in early 2026.

 

Katharina Peck, group commercial director, also gave agents tips about selling extras and advice about targeting different types of clients for the “vast” range of cruise lines.

 

“Price up a balcony cabin as standard; once they’ve tried it, they are unlikely to go back to anything else,” she advised.

 

Gary Lewis, TTNG chief executive, said Wilson – who has held senior roles at Royal Caribbean, Virgin Holidays and Tui – is "making a clear plan" on the direction of cruise and “has hit the ground running”.