Lucia Rowe, head of UK and Ireland, has been promoted to the newly-created role of UK managing director and has been tasked with building a team of on-the-road business development managers, office-based sales executives and a marketing department to work with tour operator partners and agents.
New builds and the modernisation of its existing fleet are also planned as part of the cruise line’s overall growth strategy.
The new A-Rosa team will look to grow brand awareness of the line within the UK and Ireland, offering trade support and hosting fam trips.
Having been a member of Clia since entering the UK market, A-Rosa will also look to become accredited by other relevant UK industry bodies.
“These are exciting times for A-Rosa River Cruises and I’m delighted that we are now committed to further growing the UK market going forward. We brought the product into the UK four years ago and it has gone from strength to strength,” Rowe said.
“We will now invest in our own dedicated sales and marketing team who will be both on-the-road and in the office, supporting the trade and promoting all that A-Rosa River Cruises has to offer.
"The new office and team will mean that we can get behind our trade partners more than ever before. They are of paramount importance to us in the UK market and we look forward to working with them as we grow and develop going forward.”
Joerg Eichler, A-Rosa chief executive, added: “Construction of new ships will be instrumental for the growth of A-Rosa River Cruises. This year we experienced demand that we couldn’t fulfil so we need to increase our capacity by building new vessels.
“The construction of A-Rosa Alva is already underway and she will launch on the Douro in May 2019. This will be the first of several new additions to the fleet. We also plan the refurbishment and modernisation of some of our existing ships, to ensure our entire fleet meets the expectation of today’s cruisers. The first ship to undergo work will be A-Rosa Donna this winter.
“Furthermore, we want to continue to be at the forefront of innovation in terms of the multi-generational market on the rivers and will be looking closely at how we develop our ships with this in mind. Sustainability is another area we will be looking at developing going forward.”
Overseeing fleet expansion and refurbishment will be Matthias Lutter, appointed to the newly-created role of head of construction and based at the line’s head office in Rostock, Germany.
Lutter will take up the role at the start of January and has project-managed various new builds including the construction of both A-Rosa Silva and A-Rosa Flora in 2012.
