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Cultural cruise line reports jump in forward bookings
An expanded programme and efforts to raise its profile in the UK has helped Voyages to Antiquity grow forward bookings for its summer 2019.
The cultural cruise line is reporting passenger numbers up by 342% year on year.
Meanwhile, trade and partner business is up 3% year on year in 2018.
Six new countries – Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Poland and Germany – together with 17 new ports of call including Stockholm Helsinki, and Tromso feature in the new 2019 European programme.
Managing director Jos Dewing said: "Over 60% of our business is via the trade and specialist partners and we never take this for granted. We are constantly evolving to ensure we are offering our agents and their customers a new destination and port of port of call.
"Our 2019 passenger numbers are up as a direct result of our improved engagement and awareness with agents and we are all incredibly grateful for the ongoing support. We are confident that this is going to be our strongest season ever and to develop our agent relations even further we are now seeking an additional agency sales manager."
The 2019 programme marks a return to the Black Sea, with stops in Varna (Bulgaria), Constanza (Romania) and Odessa (Ukraine).
Also returning for 2019 will be the Norwegian Fjords and Iceland programmes.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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