Vista, Hays Travel’s in-house tour operator, is celebrating “meteoric” cruise sales achieved in the first quarter of this year.
The team of 14 cruise specialists beat their targets for bookings made, support offered to agents and cruise launches delivered for operators.
Catriona Parsons, Hays Travel’s head of cruise, said: “The impact of Vista’s new specialist cruise team has been huge. Sales during the first three months of this year were meteoric and their confidence, patience and commitment to increase and convert cruise sales has been transformative.”
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Vista’s in-house product team supports Hays retail staff, as well as personal travel consultants and members of the Hays Travel Independence Group.
The B2B-only operator’s head of sales, Kathleen Molloy, said: “Cruise is a priority area for Vista, so as well as improving our product offer, we also invested in a dedicated cruise sales team, equipped with the expertise to support the agents working with us, so that they in turn can meet their customers’ needs.
“At the start of 2024 we had a massive 32 cruise lines available to sell and package through Vista.
“Our cruise specialists dove straight in – attending specialist training and working with our cruise line partners to fully understand their product.”
Molloy said the recent introduction of quote platform TProfile played a key role, with the cruise team making full use of the technology.
Bhav Taylor, TProfile’s head of sales, said: “Adding functions to our core product has enabled Vista to provide efficient and high-quality quotes to agents.
“The ‘quote reference import’ option also means existing TProfile travel agents can deliver a fully personalised quote directly to their clients.”
Vista’s cruise team members are based across the UK.
Pictured: (from left): Vista cruise team members Danny Graham, Stuart Evans, Aree Saint, Jamie Stephen, Liz Sullivan, Ashley Timmins, Nicky Aitchison, Rachael Adrian, Caitlin Hogg, Ainsley Dunlop, Cheryl Treherne, Samantha Adey, Chris Moles and Louise Watson.