Royal Caribbean is to make a pot of money available to Scottish agents to help them get on the first rung of the ladder of selling cruise.
UK managing director Stuart Leven announced the creation of the Scottish Agents’ Development Fund during a keynote speech at the Scottish Passenger Agents Association 85th annual dinner in Glasgow last night.
Leven said his sales team in Scotland would have access to the fund to work with agents for whom cruise is not part of their primary mix of sales.
He said: “We’re not talking about the big guys here. We’re talking about those smaller ones who need help getting their feet on the first rung of the ladder.”
Leven said Royal had years of experience of what works and what doesn’t with agents targeting new-to-cruise sales.
“We generally work with agents who are already booking cruise but this is about working with those who currently don’t,” he said.
Leven said each application to the fund would be assessed to determine how much support it needed.
He said the scheme could be rolled out to other areas if it proved a success in Scotland.
Asked why he was starting it in Scotland, Leven said: “There is a big opportunity in Scotland. Royal Caribbean hasn’t spent as much time developing it as it should have.
“We’re strong in England and in Ireland but not as strong as we could be and would like to be in Scotland so this is a first step to changing that.”