Launched on Tuesday (15 February), Venture Ashore is the newest addition to the City Experiences brand portfolio. It follows parent Hornblower Group’s acquisition of cruisingexcursions.com last year, which has been integrated into Venture Ashore.
Chief operating officer Rinat Glinert said Venture Ashore would aim to deliver experiences immersing cruise guests in the sights, sounds, tastes and cultures of cruise destinations around the world.
Venture Ashore will continue to operate a UK division via a team based at the former cruisingexcursions.com HQ in Cannock. The UK team, headed up by Simonne Fairbanks, includes head of trade sales Kirsty Bachelor and business development manager Liz Ryan.
Together, the team will deliver Venture Ashore’s trade programme, aiming to grow trade sales of commissionable cruise excursions, nurture existing and develop new trade relationships, and deliver agent training where requested.
Venture Ashore’s offering will include a wide range of tours and excursions to suit all groups, interests and budgets, with parties of 12 or more able to take advantage of the brand’s dedicated groups service. It will also support tailored itineraries, while private tours and small group tours will also be available for groups of between six to 25, depending on destination and demand.
Flexibility is built into the firm’s offering, including full refunds up to 24 hours prior to the excursion departing, 24/7 customer service and a "back-to-ship" guarantee.
The brand further claims it will ensure a frictionless journey for guests, agents and independent tour providers by building on City Experiences’ in-house Anchor platform, which features trip planning tools for guests and agents. Agents will also be able to access a portal with additional tools for groups, as well as reports and marketing support.
