Cruise Plus and Pure Luxury capitalise on sectors’ growth

Gold Medal sister brands Cruise Plus and Pure Luxury are seeing growth which mirrors the expansion in their market sectors, according to managing director Simon Applebaum.

 

The B2B operator boss told a Travel Weekly webcast how Cruise Plus is expanding into fresh cruising sectors such as river and expedition, while Pure Luxury is growing as ultra-luxury hotel chains open properties in new destinations.

 

He said agents sometimes just buy cruises from the brand but added: “The vast majority of our business is around the pre- and the post-[cruise].

 

More: Gold Medal ‘cements’ market-leading position with ‘outstanding year’

 

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“Not everyone can book a Rocky Mountaineer with their Canadian cruise or the Ghan (pictured) with an Australian itinerary.

 

“We have experts in putting those itineraries together, making sure they all work, and people come back. Cruise Plus customers are really loyal.”

He said the marketing reflects the company’s ability to tailor-make packages with a “one cruise three ways” message.

 

“We’ll show a single cruise itinerary and [how] you could do three different options before and after. That’s a big part of our marketing focus,” he said.

 

Behind the scenes, the Cruise Plus team is also working on “removing friction” with documentation and how to deliver documents in the best way to agents and their clients.

 

Commenting on Pure Luxury, he said: “It has done really well in the last nine months; we just doubled down on our value proposition.

 

“Our Beaches & Island brochures are one of the best pieces of work, certainly for inspiration in the industry,” he said.

 

“It is really established now. It has one of the broadest ranges of product.”

Noting the recent opening of a One&Only property near Athens, he added: “Ultra luxury product is arriving in more and more destinations. A lot of our key partners are opening properties in places that they haven’t been previously.”

 

Applebaum was talking to Travel Weekly during the Gold Medal Big Day Out 2025 event at Carden Park Hotel near Chester, which hosted 90 agents and 28 suppliers.

 

• Pure Luxury has announced a new partnership with aether, an upmarket private terminal at Manchester airport.

 

Three packages are available – Express Cabin Bags, Inclusive Cabin Bags and Inclusive Checked Baggage – with a range of different benefits.

 

Agents who add aether to their customer’s Pure Luxury package bookings during July will also receive an extra £50 Farebank Rewards. The package must be to the value of £5,000 or above.