The luxury tailor-made tour operator said its “astonishing growth” from January to June followed three years of consecutive increases since launching its cruise portfolio in 2014.
Mark Duguid, who became Carrier’s managing director last April, told TTG shortly after his appointment that cruise was an area of the business he was looking to ramp up.
“I think it’s hidden that we even do any cruise at the moment. I’m not convinced agents are aware of it,” he said in July 2017. “The cruise lines are keen to make sure customers have a good pre and post-stay programme, so we can package all that together, making the whole thing more seamless.”
Carrier’s surge in cruise sales comes against a background of new luxury ship capacity and itineraries becoming “more bespoke and complex”.
Upcoming ships from the likes of Seabourn and Ritz-Carlton have helped fuel demand, the operator described, adding that it planned to “expand and enhance” its cruise offering and continue to invest in staff training and fam trips to “ensure continued superior product knowledge”.
New product will also be added to Carrier’s existing portfolio including Celebrity Edge and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.
Recent itineraries booked by Carrier include a Mediterranean cruise with Seabourn from Monte Carlo to Civitavecchia in Rome followed by a Ferrari self-drive to Castiglion del Bosco, Belmond Villa San Michele and the Hotel de Russie.
Another recent cruise booking included an Alaskan cruise with Silversea combined with a journey on the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Banff with the trip’s highlights including a private helicopter flight over the Plain Of Six Glaciers, a private day tour to Victoria by seaplane and a boutique vineyard wine-tasting experience in British Columbia’s countryside.
Lucy Wybraniec, Carrier’s product manager for cruise, added: “The luxury cruise market is an exciting space to be operating in at the moment, with lots of investment, new ships and destinations on offer.
“As well as arranging the simpler fly-cruise holidays, Carrier also has the expertise and knowledge to create incredible itineraries for pre or post-cruise tours in a number of destinations. Anything is possible, we love the challenge of creating truly one-of-a-kind, luxury itineraries for our clients”.
