Asia-Pacific cruise line Star Cruises is to sell through Amadeus in the UK.
It is the first time the company has distributed through a GDS and comes on the back of the publication of its first UK brochure and the creation of a dedicated reservations team for the UK and Ireland.
Amadeus Cruise now offers live booking access to 14 cruise brands in the UK.
Following an initial pilot with five UK cruise specialist agents, the Star Cruises booking mechanism on Amadeus Cruise is now available for all agents using the GDS for selling cruise holidays.
Sales and marketing director Mick Dupont said: “There are high growth targets for the European market, specifically the UK and Ireland, for Star Cruises and so improving the distribution is key to this expansion strategy.
“With three different ships operating cruises varying from two to 21-nights, allowing live availability and complete flexibility is important. Plus, Amadeus Cruise distribution will enable agents to dynamically package cruises, a key growth channel in a changing market.”
Star Cruises operates three ships available to the UK and Ireland trade – SuperStar Virgo and SuperStar Gemini based year-round from the homeport of Singapore and offer cruises throughout Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and China; and SuperStar Libra based from Mumbai, India in the winter and Keelung, Taiwan in the summer.
by Phil Davies
