Despite only being Royal Caribbean International’s senior sales director for a matter of weeks, Aaron Langford has already set his sights on one particular target.
He wants to instigate a shift in mindset among British holidaymakers and, in turn, grow the UK and Irish cruise market. “I want to lean into shorter cruises alongside a bigger vacation,” he says.
“We want to start thinking about being in the holiday market camp rather than just being a cruise company, and there’s a lot of opportunity to do this with the trade."
Utopia of the Seas – Royal’s sixth Oasis-class vessel – launches on 19 July with a programme of three- and four-day Caribbean sailings from Port Canaveral, situated around an hour’s drive from Orlando, where some of the biggest theme parks in the world are found.
Langford believes Utopia’s deployment along with that of Icon of the Seas, which offers slightly longer Caribbean itineraries from PortMiami, can have a “huge” impact.
“A million Brits go to Orlando every year – that is half the cruise community in the UK and Ireland,” he explains.
“We’ve got a huge opportunity to attract new-to-cruise passengers to Royal and boost multigenerational cruising," Langford continues. "Utopia and Icon offer different types of vacations for different people – and to different agents who want to sell their sailings.”
He namechecks Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Studios as he outlines how guests could add a land stay to their cruise holiday. “Utopia is a resort that can be packaged up or added on to that amazing vacation in Florida,” he says.
‘Sense of opportunity’
It’s no surprise Langford knows what he wants to achieve so early into his new Royal role, given he has spent the past 16 years with the line’s parent, Royal Caribbean Group. During that time, he has held several positions that took him – and his family – right across the globe, from Weybridge to Miami to Shanghai.
Between 2008 and 2019, Langford worked in the revenue management team at Royal Caribbean’s UK office before relocating to Miami to become commercial strategy director. Langford says his four years in Miami encouraged him to apply for the expanded senior sales director role.
“I’ve been with the company quite a long time, mostly in revenue roles at group and brand level,” he says. “In the past couple of years, I’ve spent more time on the commercial side learning about relationships.
“When this role came up, my usual thought process would be ‘I have no interest in that’. But given my experience as commercial strategy director, I felt a real sense of opportunity to come and do something I had never done before.
“I saw it as a really exciting role in which I could build trade relationships, develop a new skillset and continue my Royal Caribbean journey.”
Growing the team
Before starting his new role, Langford felt he needed to grow the trade sales team. Currently, the team numbers 17, but Langford has already recruited two more sales development managers to work with agents – Franko Basica in Royal’s London and south-east region, and Joshua Preston in its north central region.
The field sales managers, Langford says, nurture new trade relationships before introducing them to Royal’s key account managers.
“I’m so lucky to have the team I have,” he says. “There has been a bit of building of that team last year, but I think it’s in really good shape.
“We’re looking to expand. We’ve got an opportunity to get further into areas of the country we want to explore. I saw the value of putting more boots on the ground. I think we’re in a good shape from a strategy perspective.”
Ben Bouldin’s influence
Langford is speaking to TTG the day before Royal names Celebrity Cruises’ Gerard Nolan as its new EMEA vice-president, replacing Ben Bouldin. Nolan’s appointment comes a month after it was revealed Bouldin – into whom Langford reports – would leave to go to China in August.
Langford spent eight months in Shanghai when Royal Caribbean launched its cruise programme in the country in 2016. He reveals he took “a lot of advice” from Bouldin, with whom he worked during his time in Weybridge before moving to Miami.
“Our conversations were quite progressive,” he recalls. “Mutually, we felt [the sales director role] was a great opportunity. It’s not an easy decision to move my family across the pond. It’s something I’ve had to consider.”
Langford believes Bouldin will be “fabulous” in China, and hails the “remarkable job” he has done in the EMEA region. “I have been in China for a little bit with the brand. Good luck to him. Change at Royal is always great and we are all generally energised by it.”
