The first dedicated river sales manager has been appointed by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines as the line seeks to expand its presence in the fast-growing sector.
Keith Norman moves to the new role on January 1 from his current position as sales manager, affinity.
He will be responsible for a small team aimed at growing sales across all distribution channels to help expand of Fred Olsen’s river cruise offering, currently operated with the 156-passenger vessel Brabant.
Norman said: “I am thrilled to be given this opportunity to grow and build upon the success of our popular Brabant sailings in Europe.
“The new river sales manager role gives Fred Olsen a dedicated resource and focus to ensure that we can extend our presence within the competitive river cruise market.
“Longer-term, we would like to grow our river cruise fleet and continue to bring the best of our ocean product to the river cruise market.
“We are already reaping the rewards of our unique Fred Olsen experience on board Brabant, with a guest rating of four out of five and 2019 sailings more than 50% to target already. I look forward to continuing to promote this growing demand across all sales channels.”
Head of sales Mike Evans added: “This comes at an important time for our river cruise offer, which has steadily been gaining in popularity.
“There is an increasing appetite for Fred Olsen’s friendly, more intimate style of river cruising, and Keith has the expertise and enthusiasm to be able take us to the next level.”
The line will be building on its first river cruise season with an expanded programme of 33 departures between April and November 2019, with durations between five and 25 nights on the Danube, Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers.