Auria Travel launches specialist luxury cruise brand

Kendall-Young said he saw “no point” in setting up a standalone generalist cruise business because there were “already hundreds out there”, whereas there was “definitely room” for a specialist agent in the luxury market.

“There is not an awful lot of choice of people to go and talk to who are considered specialists in the higher-end market,” he explained. “There are one or two, so I think that is somewhere that there is a bit of a gap and we wanted to develop that link with tailor-making.”

Suppliers featured at launch include Explora Journeys, Silversea, Oceania Cruises, Quark Expeditions, Celebrity Cruises and Riverside Luxury Cruises.

Kendall-Young said he hoped the new business would boost the agency’s proportion of cruise sales, which currently sits at around 40% compared to 60% from land-based holidays.

He added he would promote the new venture to the agency’s cruise database of 8,000 to 9,000 customers, alongside paid social media campaigns.

There will also be dedicated branding in Auria Travel’s new Ashby-de-la-Zouch shop, and the agency’s homeworking network will be able to sell through the brand.

Kendall-Young said offering a personal end-to-end service, where one agent looks after a customer throughout the entire booking journey, was a priority to retain clients and grow awareness.

He added he would consider hiring a dedicated cruise specialist for Cruise Luxe in the future, depending on how the business develops.

He said: “We want to become a recognised name in the marketplace for the premium end of the cruise market. We are not expecting that to be overnight, and we will work on that over the next 12 to 24 months.”