“Demonstrating its continued commitment to sell only via trade partners in the UK”, the river cruise line said the new role forms part of its “ongoing growth and development plans as it looks to further build the brand in the UK market”.

Joyner joins on 7 October having held a range of roles during his career, on both the retail and cruise line sides. These include cruise club manager at the Travel Network Group, strategic account manager at Royal Caribbean International and consulting for Fred Olsen Travel to introduce Pullmantur Cruises into the UK.

More recently Joyner was head of trade sales at Affordable Car Hire, before taking up his current role as sales director at BSP Auto.

Joyner will report directly to A-Rosa UK and Ireland managing director Lucia Rowe, tasked with leading the UK sales team, implementing strategic sales strategies, formalising processes and helping to develop existing and new growth opportunities.

He will also be responsible for the training and development of the on-the-road BDMs and supporting existing and new partners.

Rowe said: “Stephen is a highly analytical and commercially astute professional, with a vast amount of experience in managing complex sales tasks and achieving ambitions sales targets, whilst being a great leader to his teams.

“He is also well known in the trade and his appointment will further reinforce our plans to develop and grow our partnerships here in the UK.”

Joyner added: “I am so excited to be returning to cruise after a few years out of this amazing sector.

“I join at a time when river cruise continues to grow in popularity and A-Rosa has successfully positioned itself as a significant player in the UK market over recent years. My role will be to step things up a level and help drive A-Rosa’s ambitious development plans for the coming years.

“I want to bolster the brand’s UK presence further and announcements such as the groundbreaking new E-motion Rhine ship, entering the market in 2021, is one that I’m looking forward to showcasing with our trade partners as soon as more details are released.”