President Christopher Prelog said 312-passenger Star Legend’s 2023/24 winter programme would soon be full following a surge in demand for Med sailings from Barcelona and Civitavecchia.
Augustus Lonsdale, the line’s UK and Ireland head of sales, told TTG forward bookings for 2024, 2025 and 2026 were 59% up against the same 18-day period in 2023.
“This is our best-selling season since Covid,” said Lonsdale, adding: “I’m confident January will be our best-ever booking month.”
The UK and Ireland sales chief added the number of new agent partners had hit “double figures” since he joined the line last summer.
Lonsdale said: “We’re always looking to grow the distribution. The summer was really busy around the time that I joined. Since then, agents have been approaching us and asking to work with us.”
Prelog added: “The UK and Ireland is moving up. We would like to do more [trade activity] here and we will do more."
When asked how crucial agents were to Windstar, Prelog said: “Agents are incredibly important. We rely heavily on the trade. The luxury travel guest wants an agent to handle the end-to-end booking experience. Agents are key for us and they’re a huge focus.”
’Different experience’
Prelog added it was important to get as many agents on board its ships as possible because Windstar offers a “different” product compared with other cruise lines.
“Agents can contact me [about fam trips]. Once people experience Windstar – it’s almost a done deal,” said Lonsdale.
Prelog added: “Travel agents are always looking for something new. If I was an agent and I had a group of customers that had done multiple trips to the Caribbean I would offer Windstar to them. We offer a different experience.”
Due to the success of the line’s 2023/24 winter programme, Windstar will redeploy Star Legend in the Med next winter.
Windstar has expanded programme, offering five itineraries, plus three special holiday and event sailings.
“We’ve been really surprised with how the ship has filled with occupancy this winter,” noted Prelog. “Star Legend is going to be full very soon.
“There’s huge demand to visit the Mediterranean in the winter months. There are many positives to be had from lower air costs into the region, to less tourists and also to the temperature – it’s not blazingly hot.
"We’re staying overnight in many of the destinations. It’s a river ship model on the ocean.”
