GoCruise & Travel has reported its sales for the first five months of 2022 were just 4% behind the same period in 2019, before the pandemic struck.
The figures are for like-for-like sales at the franchise business owned and operated by Fred Olsen Travel, and don’t include rebookings or future cruise credits.
They were unveiled to franchisees at the company’s conference, held during a mini-cruise from Southampton on Celebrity Silhouette (May 26-30).
About 40 franchisees were among the 60 delegates who attended the event, which featured conference sessions, networking opportunities with suppliers and excursions in Bruges and Amsterdam.
Samantha Bruton, head of franchise, said: “January and February sales were phenomenal; March April and May were slower because of Ukraine.
“The cost-of-living crisis is not having so much of an impact as cruisers have the money.
“A lot of the franchisees have been out and about at events and on cruises – now they’re back at their desks, [sales] should be better and the motivation from the conference is a new lease of life.”
More: GoCruise & Travel to hold conference on Celebrity Silhouette
She said the Fred Olsen head office has 25 fewer people than in 2019 but 10 new starters are joining in the next month.
GoCruise & Travel has 66 franchisees, up from 60 in 2019, she added. Four have joined the venture this year and three more are awaiting induction in the next month.
The conference also saw the unveiling of a social media marketing service, described by Bruton described as a “complete game-changer” for franchisees.
She said many agents are finding it hard to devote time to marketing on social media because they are busy with sales, cancellations and rebookings.
The service enables franchisees to post content on channels such as Facebook “at the touch of a button”, with up to two posts a day.
The content will feature a range of offers along with other information from suppliers, plus the franchisee’s contact details. Posts can be edited to make them more personal.
“We are helping them to be more digital and supporting their businesses’ social media,” she said.
“Some are active on social media but others are not. This can help keep their page active, especially if they are away.”
The conference also heard updates and advice about other recent initiatives from the franchise business such as the ‘shop in a box’ kits, and tips about maximising e-shots and developing databases.
A marketplace event was held on the first day to enable franchisees to meet suppliers, and the networking continued at drinks gatherings and dinners on the ship.
“Franchisees were keen to speak to suppliers in person as there have been a lot of changes among account managers during the pandemic,” said Bruton.
There were further opportunities for one-to-one meetings while the ship was docked in Bruges, or delegates could opt to explore the city.
The theme of the event was A Sky Full of Stars, inspired by the hit song from Coldplay.
