Agents have welcomed a move to split the Complete Cruise Solution (CCS) sales team to create dedicated divisions for Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises/Cunard.
Agents who attended Carnival UK Cruise Awards on P&O Cruises’ Azura at the weekend said the move had not come as a surprise.
Since appointing Paul Ludlow as Princess Cruises’ first UK director, the line has been developing a distinct trade offering compared with P&O Cruises and Cunard.
This has seen a US-style groups programme introduced, Flight Select booking technology and different pricing messages.
Phil Nuttall, Cruise Village director, said the change would offer more opportunities: “I have always believed a brand such as Princess should have its own sales team.
“It doesn’t really share the similarities of P&O Cruises and Cunard and is much more influenced by global markets with a larger fleet operating globally.”
Simone Clark, Iglu Cruises managing director, added: “The introduction of Princess’s new ship next year means it’ll need more focus and with a dedicated team they’ll get a bigger share of voice.”
Announcing the change, Giles Hawke, Carnival UK sales and customer services director, said more resources would be dedicated to the trade. “This change recognises the importance of each brand’s market position and product differentiation,” he said.
The new Princess and P&O Cruises/Cunard sales teams will be formed in March reporting into a head of sales, a new position for Princess Cruises.
Chris Truscott will take up the P&O Cruises/Cunard head of sales role when he joins from Pernod Ricard next February. He will report into Hawke.
The appointment process has just begun for the Princess sales role, but once in place that person will report into Ludlow.