Norwegian Cruise Line aims to double the number of UK agent members signed up to its trade rewards scheme over the next 12 months.
Senior sales director Gary Anslow, who joined the line in November, said he aims to increase NCL Freestyle Rewards membership from 4,000 to 8,000 agents.
Up to 700 agents are anticipated to attend one of seven confirmed NCL roadshow events in March and April.
Anslow hopes to grow NCL Freestyle Rewards membership through the roadshows, which agents can sign up to via trade portal Norwegian Central, and through visits to individual agencies from his 10-person trade sales team.
He told Travel Weekly: “4,000 agents have signed up [to NCL Freestyle Rewards] and I want to double that. I believe any agent who sells cruise should be on there.
“We’ve got 4,000 in year one, so we should get to 8,000 by the end of year two.”
NCL last week unveiled a new tier system on its rewards platform, which launched in January 2021.
The tiers – silver, gold, platinum, sapphire and ambassador – allow agents to “gain greater benefits” such as being “first on the list” to join the line’s ship visits, Anslow added.
NCL also plans to soon allow agents to exchange points earned through bookings for cruises so they can experience ships first-hand.
The NCL Freestyle Rewards platform is a “key engagement tool” as the line looks to “deepen relationships” with the trade, explained Anslow, who wants increase cruise sector’s share of the UK holiday market.
Asked how customers were currently booking cruises, Anslow said: “Travel agents have a bigger role to play as customers are looking for guidance and reassurance.
“Cruise’s market penetration is 4%. NCL has always had good distribution within the UK, but there’s an opportunity for NCL to be sold through more agents.”
According to Anslow, Australia’s cruise market share is “around 10%” and Germany and USA stand at about “8%”.
Anslow, who had 40 meetings with travel agents in his first month at NCL, claims “every agent” in the UK can sell an NCL sailing.
“There’s going to be an increase in demand for cruising,” he said. “Cruise is going to be once again the fastest-growing sector in travel.
“NCL is the perfect brand to replicate that [sales growth] with its ‘freestyle cruising’ concept which means passengers can eat whatever they want, wear whatever they want. NCL is the best kept secret in UK and Ireland cruising.”
This summer, eight NCL ships will be based in Europe and five vessels will operate Alaska sailings.
Anslow said he would “love” to have an NCL ship based in the UK – one of the line’s largest markets outside US and Canada – in the future.
“We have to have the core passenger volumes out of the UK first,” he explained. “That is something we will lead up to.”
Anslow said he plans to grow trade sales team in line with NCL’s fleet. “Over the last couple of years our trade partners have always had someone to talk to,” he said.
“The sales team is the right size for the business, but we’ve got 40% capacity growth with six new ships. As other ships come in, we will look to grow the team.”