Discussing Havila's second quarter earnings last week, Bent Martini appeared to suggest agents would play second fiddle to the Norwegian four-ship coastal line's direct B2C sales channel, saying: “We will continue to prioritise direct bookings and actively optimise margins going forward."
His comments appeared to contradict Chief Sales Officer Johanna Hansli, who said last month "success in tourism can only be shaped hand-in-hand with the travel trade". Havila this week clarified to TTG Martini had been referring to the line's global strategy, rather than the UK one.
In a statement shared with TTG on Tuesday (1 September), Martini said: “Trade sales remain a vital and strategic part of our growth ambitions, and we are increasing our investment in the trade, not reducing it.
“We believe having a healthy, well-developed B2B network remains essential to our long-term success. While we sell through a number of different channels across the globe, in the UK we are committed to investing in our B2B partnerships and working even more closely with the trade going forward."
Martini highlighted Havila's decision in May to hire former APT Travel Group National Partnerships Manager Robin Griffiths as evidence of its commitment to agents, before noting how the line had also expanded its trade teams in the US and Germany.
"Their focus is specifically on developing B2B relationships, supporting our trade partners and creating new opportunities for joint growth," he explained. “Our ambition in the UK is to make it easier for our trade partners to sell our product, strengthen collaboration in key markets and grow our trade business.
"With that in mind, we're increasing our investment in our UK trade partnerships, attending more trade events than ever before and have developed a programme of agent visits for the coming months.
“Our B2B partners are an important part of our future. We value the role they play in reaching customers and growing our business in international markets, and we look forward to continuing to invest in these partnerships and grow together.”