Barrhead to expand cruise training initiative amid soaring demand

Speaking to TTG, president Jacqueline Dobson said river and luxury holidays-at-sea have proven particularly popular so far in 2023. 

The Scottish independent has seen a 327% uptick in river cruise sales this year and a 101% increase in luxury sales compared with pre-pandemic figures. 

The majority of the customers are new-to-cruise, Dobson added, which she attributed to an increased presence in the market. "Having our staff trained to be able to talk about cruising comfortably has been so important," she explained.

"There’s a multitude of different factors as to why it’s increased, but we’re not seeing a drop in land-based holidays as a result."

The agency has also seen an increase in multi-generational cruise bookings as families "begin to appreciate" the value-for-money a holiday-at-sea offers, which Dobson believes was inspired by more UK travellers taking domestic cruise holidays in 2021 when ships were restricted to British waters during the pandemic.