National sales manager Tom Dumbrell told TTG that the Connecticut-based operator, which operates nine ships on European waterways, views the UK and Irish market “very seriously”.
Since returning to Tauck in September 2022, Dumbrell has noted a “good number” of new-to-brand agents looking to sell Tauck’s land and river cruise products.
“As a brand, we take the UK and Irish market very seriously,” said Dumbrell, adding: “My bosses were reluctant to ever pull back [from this market]. They want me to utilise my time and my resources here.”
To that end, Dumbrell is currently finalising the details of a “large-scale” in-person Tauck Academy training programme at locations around the UK and Ireland.
Previously, Dumbrell has tended to visit individual agents at their agencies, but this year he plans to invite agents from different businesses to venues across the country.
“When we do things with the trade or consumers, we tend to do them well,” he added. “We need to be in a position where we’re top of mind.
“Once we get a new customer onboard, that generally means five, 10, 20 years of travel with Tauck. It’s a good piece of natural business for us.
“It’s all about making travel agents Tauck experts. We’re just trying to iron out when and where we can do these Tauck Academy events. We’re hoping to run them later in the year.”
When asked about fam trips, Dumbrell confirmed one fam trip for the summer, before adding that he was also working on more fam trips with eight places available on each one.
“We know how important it is that people understand the logistics of river cruise and the need to get the right customers on the right cruise,” he said.
“We’ve seen some good results from agents who have travelled with us. We’re looking at more opportunities to get agents onboard.”
