Speaking exclusively to TTG on Wednesday (22 April), Bounas explained the expedition operator's decision to add three new faces to its trade and reservations teams before outlining what the line plans to do next.  

Bounas also revealed each member of the expanded trade team including new recruits Dan Anders, Goran Subasic and Kate Patterson-Green had all worked with each other previously at some point in their careers.

As part of the expanison, Bounas has been promoted from the role of UK general manager to chief commercial officer with sales director Luke Clarke becoming the line's senior sales director, UK, Ireland, Africa and India. 

"I would love to say that there'll be more growth," said Bounas. "The chances are there will be – but who knows? It all depends on how the UK market grows for us. The determination is there."

Explaining the decision to invest in the team, Bounas revealed the need to respond to travel agent partners quickly was growing. "One key thing for us is getting back to our travel partners in minutes, if not hours. Not just on email but on WhatsApp," he said. "We wanted to maintain that level of service and to do that we needed to increase the team."

Prior to the latest Swan Hellenic recruitment drive, Bounas confirmed the marketing team had also received some investment and money was being allocated to trade online platforms. Furthermore, the line has launched a new customer-facing website which the trade can use.

"We now put the information about the shore excursions and the experiences guests can have on our website because ultimately that's the selling point," he added. "It's collateral for the agents and for them to be able to pass that onto the clients is really key for us.

"We've launched a new website last month that's got a lot more detail and is easier to use. We're also working on what you would call 'trade portals' as well as some new API links. We're building this in house for our partners."

'A big thing for us'

In 2025, Swan Hellenic welcomed flagship Minerva back into its fleet following three years of the vessel sitting idle in Uruguay after sanctions were placed on a leasing firm whose parent company was designated as a Russian company. The leasing firm – STLC Europe Nine Leasing – had chartered Minerva to Swan Hellenic.

Bounas said having Minerva in operation is "big for us" this year before outling another key focus is developing the line's destinations offering.

The UK market, according to Bounas, is "one of the fastest growing" international markets for the line. "As a company we've grown triple digits across the board, but the UK has outperformed the general pace that we've seen elsewhere and that's a really strong sign for us," he continued.

Bounas also confirmed the average Swan Hellenic passenger age is 47. "Our passengers don't want to just tick boxes. They want to come back and really have these amazing stories," he added.

Bounas said older passengers tended to chose the line's sailings along the West African coast, while younger customer opted for the polar regions.