New Cunard president and managing director Peter Shanks is looking to make the brand more accessible to travel agents.
Shanks, who was previously Carnival UK chief commercial officer, took up his role at Cunard last week, replacing Carol Marlow, who has moved to head up P&O Cruises.
Shanks said: “Some agents find Cunard daunting, because customers tend to be very demanding, but its heritage, quality and the fact we have the youngest fleet in the world, make it one of the easiest sells.”
He said TUI and Thomas Cook agents recently had the chance to travel on a Queen Mary 2 transatlantic cruise, which led to some good-value bookings.
“It shows there are huge opportunities for agents, if we can get the message across and take away the fear.”
Shanks, who oversaw the move of Cunard’s headquarters to the UK from the US last year, said he intends to adopt Marlow’s mantle as the face of Cunard.
“I am already well known by Cunard cruisers, but it’s awesome to take on this new role.”
He also wants to increase business from Germany. For 2010, Queen Mary 2 will be sailing transatlantic voyages between Hamburg and New York, as well as a couple of round-trip cruises from Hamburg.
Shanks said: “We are already strong in Germany, but I want to increase our business there.”
About 40% of Cunard bookings are from the UK.