| Hebridean Spirit |
Hebridean Island Cruises took a group of six Thomas Cook
agents on board Hebridean Spirit last month as part of its recent
alliance with the multiple. The fam was the first Hebridean has run
in conjunction with one of the big four.
The agents, from shops across the UK, travelled on a three-night
return cruise from Venice, via the Istrian peninsula, calling at
the UNESCO-designated towns of Ravena in Italy and Rovinj in
Croatia. Hebridean Island marketing manager Peter Williams said the
company felt Thomas Cook was the only multiple that could really
get behind the product, which appeals to a niche market. The
product is sold through 200 of the operator’s top-performing
shops for cruise sales.
“We’re not a mass-market product but we still need to
attract more business,” said Williams. “We felt Thomas Cook was
more able to diversify and segment its business. It’s early
days, but the response has been encouraging.”
Hebridean takes about 15% of bookings through the trade, almost
exclusively via its Elite Collection scheme for preferred agents.
The rest is direct-sell business.
Hebridean has set its sights on increasing sales through the
trade to at least 20%. “We don’t want to be seen as
‘exclusive’,” said Williams. “There will certainly be
agents out there who have exactly the right client base and who
haven’t considered Hebridean Island Cruises.”
Hebridean has a repeat visitor rate of about 60%, and with an
average booking for two totalling around £7,000, the return on
investment for agents is high. The three-night Venetian Tapestry
cruise costs £3,100 per person. “It’s a top-end product
but we deliver on value for money and it’s important for
agents to recognise that,” said Williams. “Spirit sails in very
competitive waters, so extras make a big difference at point of
sale.”
Included in the price are guest lecturers, unlimited premium
alcohol on board and exclusive arrangements on the ground, such as
visits to private palazzos and family-run wineries.
Kerry Ennis, a sales consultant at Thomas Cook’s York
branch, said the short trips would appeal to the city-breaks
market. “There are plenty of cash-rich, time-poor clients who think
nothing of splashing out on a long weekend at a five-star
hotel like the Cipriati.”
Joanne Ankers, a World Travel consultant from Thomas Cook
Chester, said attention to detail and sales support started long
before she boarded the ship. “Nothing was too much trouble –
I asked for a video and was sent two almost immediately, which is
very rare. A sales rep even called in to see if I had any concerns
about the educational. Paying so much attention to agents is
unusual.”
- Spirit’s Baltic programme has been extended to include
Riga in Latvia, the Estonian island of Saaremae and Lubeck in
Germany in the new summer and autumn 2005 brochure. The ship will
also be the first cruise ship to navigate the Guadalquivir River
next year en route to Seville. There are three ex-UK cruises new
for 2005 and in October, Spirit sails to northern Turkey for the
first time. Also new in the Aegean are the tiny island of
Samothraki, Korissia, the remote isle of Chios, and Kavala.
