Royal Caribbean International’s new head of retail has pledged the line will reach up to 13,000 agents a year following a restructuring of its sales team.
Speaking at the inaugural sailing of new ship Anthem of the Seas, Alexander Johnston told Travel Weekly that two new regional sales managers were being appointed, bringing the total to eight, and boosting the sales team to 26.
One of the new regional sales managers will focus on Ireland, while the other will focus on London as part of a fresh strategy to target the capital and other affluent areas.
Johnston, who joined the line six weeks ago from The Jockey Club, said the new structure would ensure every major account would receive a monthly visit from a regional sales manager, and the team would make up to 3,000 visits to agent partners every year.
“The support we are now giving is a demonstration of how important the trade is to us,” he said. “We need to make sure it is getting the support it needs.”
Johnston added that the team would have a strong retail focus, and said initial signs had been positive.
“If my team isn’t dealing with someone who works in a shop, then it isn’t doing its job,” he said. “We’ve seen an instant response from agents we may not have visited for some time.”
Johnston was speaking during the launch celebrations for Anthem of the Seas, which included the official naming by travel agent godmother Emma Wilby, of Thomson in Elgin, who was selected following a competition run in Travel Weekly.
Meanwhile, rival line P&O Cruises chose an unusual way to promote its new ship Britannia, taking out an advert in this week’s Travel Weekly to congratulate Royal on its new arrival.