Jo Rzymowska, managing director of Celebrity Cruises UK, Ireland and Apac told delegates at the 2017 Clia Cruise Forum that despite a record 1.9 million Brits taking an ocean cruise in 2016, the sector had “not been doing enough” to attract new passengers in recent years.

“At the end of the day we can pat ourselves on the back for getting to 1.9 million, but that is in a holiday market of 30 million overseas holidays a year so between us we still have a lot to do,” she said.

Rzymowska was speaking on a panel of Clia’s Executive Committee alongside Giles Hawke, chief executive of Cosmos and Avalon Waterways, Tony Roberts, Princess Cruises’ vice-president UK and Europe and Antonio Paradiso, managing director UK and Ireland of MSC Cruises.

Paradiso said MSC Cruises had been “focusing a lot” on building its trade relationships during the past year as the line – which is set to deliver a new-build vessel every year until 2023 – was “still relatively small” in the UK market.

He explained to delegates how more than 1,000 UK agents had visited MSC ships over the last 12 months and, when the line brings four of its vessels to the UK shores in 2018, that it will have the potential to welcome around 6,000 agents onboard for visits. “Engaging agents is key,” he added.

Hawke said he believed travel consultants “play a massive part in putting cruise in front of people who may not have thought of going on a cruise before”.

Highlighting the value of agents, Hawke recalled recent partnerships with Love It, Book It and Go Cruise, whose consultants had used self-shot video from onboard Avalon ships to showcase cruising to their customers.

He also described the popularity of television programmes such as Channel 5’s Cruising with Jane McDonald as “fantastic” in helping to grow interest in the sector.

Echoing Hawke, Roberts said when it came to its trade relations this year Princess had seen a “huge development” in the number of agent partners putting together “really enticing packages where the cruise is just a part of it”.

“That opens us up to a whole new audience,” he said.