USAirtours unveils standalone ‘one-stop shop’ cruise brand

​USAirtours has created a standalone cruise brand that “will be a one-stop shop for agents” as it looks to grow its fly-cruise business outside North America.

Beyond Cruising launched this week with 25 cruise line and airline partners and a portfolio of 34 countries, with plans to expand into expedition, luxury, small ship and river in the coming months.

USAirtours has been offering tailor-made fly-cruise packages – predominantly to the US, Canada and Caribbean – for the last decade, and founder Guy Novik reported “increasing demand” in recent years.

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“We were being asked to create itineraries to destinations farther afield, which has been growing nicely,” he said, adding the move marks the company’s “first major foray outside North America”. 

“The contracts with the cruise lines are for global product, and as that business has grown, we feel now is a good time to service that market through a brand not exclusively linked to North America.”

Novik revealed about 10% of USAirtours’ current fly-cruise product falls outside the North America region, and fly-cruise sales now account for roughly a fifth of the operator’s total revenue, which for the last financial year equated to about £10 million.

He added he would be “very disappointed” if the brand is not able to double its fly-cruise sales over the next two years. 

Novik hopes the brand will become a “one-stop-shop” for agents who need assistance in creating “more-complicated itineraries”.

Plans include expanding the number of groups and allocations on flights and cruises, and launching exclusive offers for agents.

Novik highlighted the operator’s ability to guarantee airfares through to March 2028, which he said is further out than most competitors.

He said the decision to launch the brand was “not particularly” related to the fluctuating US market, which “has had its challenges this year”, highlighting that USAirtours’ revenue up to September 30 was expected to rise 17% on last year despite estimating a sector-wide 8% drop in bookings from the UK. “We are up because we found a way of winning a larger slice of a shrinking pie,” he added.

Novik revealed the operator also plans to launch two more “non-North American” brands, focused on the long-haul experiential market, in the next 12 months.