Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) has strengthened its presence in the global cruise sector, acquiring Cruise Club UK, a privately owned business based in Manchester, England.
The move comes just months after FLT relaunched specialist cruise brand Cruiseabout and opened new wholesale business CruiseHQ in Australia and as cruise continues to be one of the fastest growing sectors in travel.
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FLT Global Leisure CEO James Kavanagh said the Cruise Club UK acquisition will fast-track the company’s expansion into the large UK market, using the blueprint of Ignite’s highly successful MyCruises business in Australia.
“Cruise Club will join our current UK leisure brands Flight Centre and Scott Dunn to further diversify our offering this market and strengthen our presence in the global cruise sector,” he said.
“As we look to increase cruise sales and expand Ignite’s offering internationally, we are excited by the potential in the UK and the parallels with Australia, where the Ignite model and MyCruises have proven so successful.
“We aim to replicate that success in the UK, which is a top-three source market for cruise passengers globally and a market that is estimated to be double the size of the Australian market.
“Given Ignite’s procurement, packaging and advertising expertise, which allows the business to secure additional bonuses and create extra value for customers, we’re confident we can deliver an innovative and disruptive offering that will quickly prove popular.
“Already, we have seen strong support from suppliers, who are keen to work with us to grow this sector, and from potential customers who responded strongly to a My Cruises-style offer that Cruise Club recently trialled.
“We are also very excited to work with the Cruise Club UK team to build on the strong platform that has been established over some 30 years and to broaden the product offering to include the exclusive packages that MyCruises has become famous for.”
Cruise Club UK was founded by Paul Edge senior, who is currently the company’s major shareholder. He and his son, Paul Edge junior, will continue with the business as it is integrated into Ignite.
Ignite founder Randall Deer will become Cruise Club UK’s managing director and will work closely with the Cruise Club team and Ignite to expand the business.
Flight Centre, which has been in the UK since 1984, is re-establishing itself in the UK market following Covid. It bought luxury travel provider Scott Dunn last year.
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