SeaDream Yacht Club’s new UK commercial director said the line is looking to bolster the number of trade partners it works with.
Jos Dewing, who joined the luxury line this month, said he wants to recreate the “energy” that existed at the now-defunct Voyages to Antiquity, where he was managing director until last year when the one-ship line ceased operations.
In the UK, SeaDream currently has around 50 trade partners, 20 of which are “particularly strong” sellers, but the line has plans to add more in 2020.
Asked what kind of agents SeaDream wanted to work with, he said: “All kinds, but particularly the boutique specialist agents that really understand and have a close relationship with their customers.
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“The agents that will do well for us are the ones that will tailor the experience for their guests and the high-end tour operators.
“We already have a great relationship with the cruise specialist agents. There are so many in the UK.”
Dewing said: “We are looking to work closely with the accounts that we have, and I am looking to bring in new partners that we are not working with.”
Dewing said there were no plans to expand the trade sales team in the UK but added: “If we feel the need to [expand] then we will certainly look at it.”
He added that fam trips were an option to help agents build their product knowledge, but admitted it was tough to find the cabin availability.
“Because the yachts are sold so well, we are looking at bringing agents down for lunches,” Dewing said. “It still needs to be finalised.
“I’ve known about the SeaDream product for a long time. I sold it a lot when I was the managing director at The Cruise Line.
“It has got a magic that is hard to envisage, unless you have experienced it. It is so important that agents do experience it and the owner has a real appetite for agents to see the ships. It is a different type of cruising.”
The UK market, Dewing said, is “hugely important” to SeaDream. “That is why I have been hired,” he added. “I would say that with Voyages to Antiquity the growth was enormous – even though we did not increase capacity. I want to repeat that kind of energy.
“I want to make sure guests know about SeaDream so that they walk into their travel agent and ask about us. There is a huge opportunity for growth.”
Last year, the line’s owner and chairman, Atle Brynestad, said that he hoped to announce a new ship in 2020 after plans for a new-build due in 2021 were shelved in December.
The line currently operates two vessels – SeaDream I and SeaDream II – in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
“It is no secret that the owner of SeaDream is actively looking at the opportunity of a new-build,” Dewing said. “The company is in a position to look at new-builds and there is a hope to announce something this year.”