Captain Cook Fiji finds its solo sea legs
Captain Cook Cruises Fiji has admitted 2012 was a "tough year" for the cruise line as it split from Captain Cook's Australian operations, but insisted that this year things are starting to look up.
Australian sales manager, Alex Raicebe, told Travel Today the separation, which coincided with the August 2011 acquisition of the Australian operation by ferry line SeaLink, had impacted sales from the Australian market, prompting a decline "in single digits". Australia accounts for around 90% of the cruise line's overall sales, he added.
"Last year was the first year by ourselves as Captain Cook Cruises Fiji so it was tough year but things are improving," he said. "We've actually cut down from a very big team to a small team with only three of us now dealing with the whole of Australia."
But months of travelling across the country, networking and meetings with wholesalers are now starting to pay off, Raicebe revealed.
"We are slowly but surely starting to see an uplift," he said. "We're now seeing an improvement compared to last year."
This year, the firm will focus on advertising in the local market and working closely with wholesalers and the trade.
It will also debut its 11-night Discover Lau Cruise, with the first sailing in October now sold out, prompting the addition of a second departure in April 2014.
"We'll have to see how the second one sells, then we may look at doing another new cruise," Raicebe said.
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