Ponant hopeful Atol will ‘open door for partners’ and drive UK growth

Ponant is in the “final stage” of its bid to secure an Atol, which it hopes will open the door to more trade partners and help achieve “significant growth” in the UK.

The upmarket expedition cruise line began the process of gaining certification earlier this year with the aim of completing the application in the final quarter.

Anthony Daniels, Ponant UK and Ireland general manager, who joined the line in May 2024 from Hurtigruten, said it was “obvious” that securing bonding was required to make it easier for agents to package Ponant’s cruises with flights.

“The number‑one thing in our control is securing this Atol licence,” he said. “It is something I have been going on about since I started and is not a short process. 
“We are [now] in the final stage of our proposal, which will hopefully open the door for new trade partners to come to us. We know they require us to have the bond before we [can] move forward.”

Daniels added that securing an Atol would put Ponant in a “strong commercial position” while offering greater protection.

In addition to gaining Atol certification, Daniels is planning several other changes that he claims will be “game-changing” for the brand in the UK.

The line is hopeful of securing an API (application programming interface) link – a type of software that enables applications to communicate with each other – which will give the trade a live feed of Ponant’s product availability and pricing, intended to make securing bookings and displaying promotions “smoother”.

“Consistency in education” for agents is another priority, said Daniels, with plans in place for Ponant to be involved in Clia’s second expedition showcase next year.

The line is also planning to launch a programme of ship visits, fam trips and webinars in 2026 for UK agents, including a 48-hour “mini fam” trip to see Ponant flagship Le Commandant Charcot in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Daniels said these developments would help make the UK “the valuable market we know it can be” and would be “a real game-changer for us”, adding: “We’re not far from being a lot easier to do business with. That is the core of everything we do: educating and supporting agents.”