More cruise companies are considering joining ABTA, after news MSC Cruises has become a member.
Senior membership marketing manager Stephen Barnes said negotiations with other operators had begun following MSC Cruises’ announcement last month that it would join the association.
He said cruise companies had begun to see the positives of ABTA membership and had requested membership application forms.
Barnes said: “MSC has just become a member, and that has attracted a lot of interest from other cruise companies as they see more benefits.”
While he refused to name the companies involved, they will join other cruise operators at the association, including Carnival, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and Hurtigruten.
Barnes said interest ABTA membership had increased following the collapse of the XL Leisure Group in September last year, which alerted consumers to the need to ensure financial protection, and the power of the association’s brand.
He added ABTA saw a three-fold increase in membership enquiries by travel agents in October alone, and a 51% year-on-year increase in new members from July to December.