Speaking to TTG onboard Celebrity Beyond during a trade preview sailing at the weekend ahead of the vessel’s maiden voyage on Wednesday (27 April), Stirrup confirmed Celebrity was currently recruiting.

The news follows the departure of luxury business development manager, Jonny Peat, who joins Advantage Travel Partnership this week as cruise commercial manager, and strategic account manager Ruth Gardiner, who switched to sister line Royal Caribbean International earlier this month.

Stirrup said Celebrity was aiming to unveil its new sales staff and team structure “in the next few weeks”. 

Meanwhile, Stirrup confirmed Celebrity was in the process of finalising its summer ship visit programme with trips in the pipeline to see UK-based Celebrity Silhouette, as well and Beyond and sister vessels Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex.

“We’re hoping to offer Silhouette visits for Southampton and also have some for Celebrity Apex when she comes to Liverpool and up into Scotland for some small groups there,” she added. “For people who haven’t been able to join us on Beyond this week, we’ll also do a handful of visits out to Edge, Apex and Beyond this summer.”

Stirrup said the line was conscious of the number of new entrants to the industry and inexperienced staff joining agencies amid the travel’s sector staffing crisis and wanted to “give new starters the right tools and the knowledge” by offering the ship visits.

“We want them to be able to touch and feel the ships and we’ll work it through with partners when they can do and when we can do,” she said.