Small ship cruising specialist Micro Cruising has underlined its commitment to the trade as it outlined its ambition to become a one-stop shop for voyages of 100 passengers or less.
Managing director Nicola Caygill told Travel Today that the company, which started around 18 months ago, only sells through agents.
“We know that agents are really wanting to protect themselves, so what we’re doing is any direct enquiries we receive through the web site, we pass on to agents,” she said.
“We don’t want to do flights. That’s the agent’s job – they’re the experts.”
The company, which is now preferred with both the Magellan and Maestro networks, is seeking to grow trade awareness of the breadth of its offering. It currently offers 600 itineraries, aboard 200 ships, across 70 destinations. Its range includes a voyage aboard Princess Grace’s yacht in the Galapagos, tug boats in Alaska and a six person yacht to Antarctica.
But Caygill admitted it is niche product.
“It’s like vegemite, people know quickly whether it’s for them or not,” she said. “We say to travel agents, maybe 10 out of 100 of people through their door are Micro-Cruising clients.”
Travellers that have tried big ship cruising and decided it wasn’t for them, those that don’t consider themselves cruisers and those that “like to get their hands into the earth” are the ideal fit for the company, she added.
