Sales at Barrhead Travel’s annual river cruise show soared 30% this year after the Scottish agency chain refreshed the format to highlight a broader range of product.
For 2019, the agency moved the show to its luxury store in St Vincent Street, Glasgow, and showcased a wider range of cruise options – including more luxury holidays.
Barrhead said the new venue provided a more “intimate and luxurious space” with room for private appointments and an on-site bar.
Sharon Fox, Barrhead’s head of cruise product and commercial, said: “Combining the river cruise show with luxury ocean product gave a smaller number of customers a wider variety of choice and more face-time with our cruise experts and partners, resulting in quality bookings and increased revenue.
“As the cruise industry continues to innovate at a rapid rate, it is important for us to keep being reactive and adapt to meet the needs of our customers.
"It’s a really exciting time to be in the cruise business and we are looking forward to launching more cruise events.”
Exhibitors included Scenic, Emerald, Viking, Azamara, AmaWaterways, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea and Crystal Cruises. Cruise expert Gary Buchanan also led a number of talks.
Nicola Singleton, strategic account manager at Azamara, added the event “attracted the right calibre of customer for the product on offer”, resulting in a number of “fantastic enquiries”.