Belmond’s Gary Franklin on how the brand is tapping into the boom of rail travel

Q. Have you seen Belmond train bookings increase in recent years?
A. Since Covid, we’ve seen real growth in rail travel. There has been a resurgence of sleeper trains in Europe, meaning that in the past five years, our revenue from rail bookings has doubled. We have had to extend seasons, run more trips and provide different accommodation types to keep up with that demand, which continues to grow.

Q. Could you tell us more about your new sleeper train, Britannic Explorer?
A. The [36-passenger] Britannic Explorer came about because a sleeper train is a fantastic way to see the UK, as opposed to driving for hours. We offer three three-day itineraries departing from London Victoria: a trip to Cornwall combining the seaside and the burgeoning art scene; a journey to Wales that goes to harder-to-reach places like the west coast, focusing on spectacular scenery and nature-based activities; and a Lake District itinerary that is more train and food centric because of our connection with chef Simon Rogan. I thought Cornwall would be the most popular, but because we’ve themed each trip around art, nature and food, we’re seeing a pretty good balance across all the itineraries. You can board the train on a Friday afternoon, have three nights away, and get back to work on Monday. It’s catering to time-poor people who want stress free, trouble-free mini breaks without taking any time off. UK and US travellers are our biggest source markets, and Dutch, German and Scandinavian clients are very interested too.