The small-ship boutique line hopes to soon secure consumer bonding with Abtot which will allow customers and third-party agents to book a fully-protected cruise.
In the coming months, Windstar plans to attain an Atol licence which would enable the line to sell flight-inclusive cruises. The moves will “open up the door for substantially more UK agents to contract directly with Windstar”, said the line.
Windstar’s General Sales Agent – The Cruise Line – will become the line’s preferred partner once it gains its Atol. Until then, Sussex-based agency will continue to support Windstar, providing flights for agents who want to book air as well as a cruise.
Windstar will continue to support and extend its existing agreements with Traveltek, Odysseus and other platforms, ensuring system access for all UK trade partners.
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Furthermore, Windstar is looking to hire a new Manager – Sales Operations and Enablement. The UK-based role will “contribute to global sales operations and support partners across all international markets, while laying the foundation for the continued growth of Windstar’s UK presence”, Windstar added.
Windstar Cruises President Christopher Prelog said: “We’ve been welcoming guests from the UK for over 40 years and we are delighted that as we grow the number of travel agents working directly with us we get to welcome back our loyal guests and welcome new-to-brand, especially those cruise sceptics that are looking for a more intimate cruise experience.”
He added: “We’re grateful to The Cruise Line for serving as our UK general sales agent since May 2022, and we look forward to continuing to work together as we grow in this key market.”
The UK expansion is led by Helen Beck, Managing Director, Global Commercial. "This is the first step in significantly increasing Windstar's distribution in the UK," said Beck. "We're committed to working directly with more agents than ever before, while continuing to value and invest in our platform partnerships meaning UK agents can now book cruise-only with full confidence."
When asked how plans for Star Explorer’s christening in London were progressing, Beck said: “We’re at the blank piece of paper stage. She will have paying guests onboard. It is about how we can expose people to being part of this experience without them sailing on the ship.
Beck later ruled out fuel surcharges to reflect the higher prices in the market owing to the ongoing Iran war.
Beck said: “We’re trying very hard to avoid introducing a surcharge. That is very much a last resort for us. We’re trying to absorb the higher charges because that’s the right thing to do. No companies want to pass on higher costs to the consumer.”
