Hurtigruten head of sales Kathryn Beadle talks to Juliet Dennis about the cruiseline’s challenges, trade relations and new itineraries, which are attracting a younger crowd
What type of cruiseline is Hurtigruten and what kind of customers does it attract?
When people think about a cruise it’s all about the cruiseline, whereas our ships are more about the experience. They are working vessels that deliver mail and goods so they stop off all along the coastline.
It attracts the sort of people who want to visit the countries we go to. Also, because the ships stop off in the centre of the coastal towns, you can walk straight into the town. It’s very different from a traditional cruiseline.
All staff are Norwegian and there is no tipping on board. We appeal to older people; our average age is 55. They are usually people interested in the environment, nature, and the mythology of Norway.
Has Hurtigruten successfully managed its name change in the UK from Norwegian Coastal Voyage?
All the research and focus groups show the Hurtigruten name is recognised and awareness has increased since it was changed. It’s so unusual and creates a lot of humour, so we can have a lot of fun it. We have done a lot of advertising with the trade.
What are Hurtigruten’s short-term challenges?
There is a lack of awareness in the trade as to what we do. We have got to increase the number of brochures that go to travel agents, as well as our profile and communication overall with offers and launches. We are going back to basics.
Agents get bombarded with so much information it’s important to make it fun and relevant to them and their generation.
Another challenge for us is that people often think about booking Hurtigruten two years in advance – we want to keep that early business but we also want to make sure we get more late business.
What is Hurtigruten doing to improve its relationship with agents?
We have substantially increased our marketing budget to the trade and we are putting a very detailed plan together so we can concentrate on agents. We are already doing a number of roadshows and will attend the Association of Cruise Experts convention. We are also getting extra regional sales staff on board.
We won’t try to be all things to all people; we want a more structured approach. We will target specialist accounts, which will be selected independents. We want to develop our relationships with Worldchoice and Advantage, Thomas Cook, The Co-operative Travel agencies and Hays.
There is so much potential. It’s all very well agreeing a deal at head-office level but we need to make sure the people behind the counter know about us and are confident in selling us. We are looking at how we communicate with the trade.
Could consolidation among consortia agents work in Hurtigruten’s favour?
If Worldchoice joins forces with the Travel Trust Association it would make our life easier. The TTA is one of the groups we’d like to work with. Obviously, distribution is key for us.
With effort on both sides, we could further develop the business with many of our business partners. We need to develop more business at a grass roots level and work with head offices to achieve that.
Are Hurtigruten’s short itineraries to see the Midnight Sun and the Northern Lights attracting a new customer base?
They are attracting a different and younger customer, those that would have perhaps gone for a city break and people who are looking for something more unusual and different scenery and soft adventure.
On the Northern Lights trips you can go dog-sledding and stay in an ice hotel. The itineraries are helping us fill ships in the winter months.
What has surprised you most since starting work in the cruise sector after working for tour operators?
The satisfaction levels. They are so high, they are enviable. In my experience there is usually someone at a consumer show who wants to tell you about a negative experience they have had.
At Destinations [travel show] we were literally five-deep the whole time with people who wanted to tell us what a wonderful time they’d had.
How easy is it for travel agents to sell Hurtigruten?
You have to sell it to the right person and agents do a very good job. I have not come across a situation where people think they are on the wrong ship. But it is difficult to sell and we recognise that because it’s such a niche market.
That’s why we do all these activities, such as seminars at sea, with travel agents. Hurtigruten recognises the potential of the trade. My view is if we want to grow, let’s go for that growth through the trade.
Profile
- Age: “Old enough to know better”
- Lives: Purley, Surrey
- Status: Married
Employment history
- 1976-1994: Hogg Robinson, in a variety of sales roles, including divisional sales director, director of marketing, training and commercial
- 1994-2004: Virgin Holidays sales and marketing director
- 2005-2007: Argo Holidays and Jetlife sales and marketing director
- January 2008: Started as Hurtigruten head of commercial