Norwegian Cruise Line has partnered with Abta LifeLine to introduce its Walk for Wellness scheme in the UK, as the charity revealed demand for its services has “increased hugely” over the past three years.
NCL began the scheme in Australia in 2020, where it encouraged agents to spend more time outside, engaging with nature and meeting like-minded members of the trade over a one-month period.
The first UK programme will run from May 1-31 and challenges agents to collectively walk 40,000 miles. If the target is met, NCL will donate £10,000 to Abta LifeLine.
Agents can download the MoveSpring app, which will track the number of miles they have walked, and provide information on the charity. It also has a chat function to allow users to speak to one another and to meet people in their local area to walk with. Gary Anslow, NCL’s regional vice-president and head of UK and Ireland, told Travel Weekly he is “thrilled” to be bringing the scheme to the UK, and hopes it will “begin a conversation around mental health in our workplace”.
“We work in a very pressurised industry, which is never without its challenges,” he said. “We want to give agents the opportunity to think about their own mental health by getting out in fresh air and connecting with other agents in their area.”
Abta LifeLine director Trudie Clements warned demand for the charity’s services is likely to continue to grow in the coming years. She said financial strain often causes poor mental health and urged agents to participate in the challenge to “walk, talk and get peace of mind”.
“Mental health was talked about a lot during the pandemic, but the focus has shifted away from it, which is why this is such an important initiative,” she said.
“We’ve seen a huge uptick in applications over the past few years. A lot of people were hit by the Thomas Cook collapse, then Covid and then the cost of living.
“We need to acknowledge that the cost-of-living crisis is probably the new normal, which means demand for our services is likely to continue to grow.”
As an extra incentive, NCL will give away four cruises for two on new ship Norwegian Aqua when it enters service in spring 2025, with weekly giveaways during May.
Find out more: market.ncl.com/ukwalk