Fred Olsen Travel plans to reward its nine ‘millionaire’ travel agents with a Silversea Cruises sailing as it looks to increase the number of its top performers next year.
The agency is treating the agents, who all sold more than £1 million of holidays in 2023, with a four-night luxury cruise on new ship Silver Ray in August from Venice to Dubrovnik.
It will be the first VIP trip for the chain’s ‘Millionaires Club’ agents. Previously staff have received a financial kick-back for their sales efforts.
Retail director Paul Hardwick said: “We wanted to take them away to do something really nice as a thank you because to achieve these numbers is a huge amount of hard work.”
Hardwick is hopeful the chain will have “double digit” numbers of millionaire agents in 2024.
He added: “To get nine best-sellers on this trip can only be good for Silversea and for Fred Olsen Travel. Hopefully they’ll want to do £1 million again. The aim is to encourage more to do so. I’d hope we can get to around 15 this year.”
Silversea UK & Ireland, Middle East & Africa sales director Connie Georgiou said the agents would be among the first to experience the ship. They will visit a herbal farm, go on a brunch excursion and wine tasting as part of the line’s culinary Sea And Land Taste (SALT) programme.
She said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to host such a prestigious trip. From a Silversea perspective it is important we showcase our products to agents so they can experience our voyages first hand.”
The agents work in shops in East Anglia and on the south coast. Seven are full-time and two part-time, with their turnover worked out on a pro-rata basis.
Hardwick, who hopes to make the trip an annual event, said average sales values this year were already up by £200 per booking on last year as a result of the company’s focus on luxury travel.
Last year the chain sold £7 million worth of luxury cruises and this year it is targeting a 30% increase in that figure.
“The hope is this trip will help us achieve our goal. It’s an investment that will reap rewards,” he said.
The trip is jointly funded by Silversea and Fred Olsen Travel, which is paying for flights to the cruise.