Virgin Voyages has seen “triple-digit” growth in its UK business over the past year after listening to feedback from the trade about how to improve its marketing.
Nirmal Saverimuttu, chief executive, told a Travel Weekly webcast that the cruise line has “struggled” to tell its story and “made a lot of mistakes” in its marketing.
Last year, he conceded that the initial branding gave the impression it was targeting party-going millennials instead of its key demographic.
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It also welcomed thousands of agents onboard last year to experience the cruise line for themselves.
“We had to get people on there to understand the experience on the ship. That is hard to put your finger on, but it’s a wonderfully elevated experience. There’s not a lot of penny pinching,” he said.
“The results are that, in the year since we talked, we’re up triple digits in the UK.”
He said the brand overall was seeing double-digit growth, but the business in the UK was growing faster as it had to catch up “because we underperformed”.
“We weren’t setting up our UK First Mates [agents] to do business with us in the best way. We weren’t thoughtful enough about forward planning,” he said.
The cruise line has also developed itineraries with UK cruisers in mind, offering departures from Portsmouth.
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“This year, I’m proud to say our Med season has sold out. Last year, it wasn’t,” he said, adding that the UK market made up a “very healthy proportion…upwards of 20%”.
“Fast forward a year, it is lovely to see triple-digit growth in the UK,” he added.
“Being here in the UK allowed people to try the brand.
“We’ve introduced some slightly longer itineraries in the Caribbean, where there is demand from the UK.
“Next season will be our biggest and best Med season.”
He said the itineraries for 2025 have been “refined”, offering “unique” activities and stops in places such as Istanbul, Iceland and Norway.
“We are a brand that should never be too proud to admit we didn’t get it right, and we should always be able to listen,” he continued.
Saverimutti was speaking to Travel Weekly during a ‘celebration sailing’ on Resilient Lady, which featured appearances by founder Sir Richard Branson, 80s pop star Boy George, former Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgway and Virgin Galactic astronauts.
“These are special voyages, because we celebrate Virgin and we celebrate the 50 years of innovation, 50 years of building companies around the world,” he said.
The crew are also part of the celebrations with “special surprises…just to make sure they know how special they are”.
“What makes Virgin special? It really is the people and the culture that Richard has championed,” said Saverimuttu.
“I feel very proud to know that Richard feels so proud about this brand, because he feels that the crew culture and the experience that he has championed all his life is here on this ship.”