Audley Travel to expand cruise proposition with more ocean lines

Audley Travel plans to bolster its cruise proposition by adding more ocean lines to its portfolio by the end of the year.

The operator established a cruise division in 2024 to offer these to clients in the UK and US.

Speaking at a media briefing in London, Lisa Fitzell (pictured, left), chief product and operations officer, said she expected “big growth” in the tailor-made specialist’s cruise product and sales, with more ocean lines to be onboarded by the end of the year.

Fitzell said Audley’s global cruise manager Sean Atton (pictured, right), who moved over from Trailfinders two years ago, had “built our programme from scratch” and brought more ocean lines on board.

She said it was “a natural progression” to package ocean cruising with the operator’s own experiences, adding: “Cruise was new for us two years ago, although we always had small-ship adventures in the Galapagos, Amazon and Indonesia.

“Small-ship cruising has always been the foundation, and river cruising is another one that is a lovely wrap-around to our itineraries in the region.”

Fitzell said the operator wanted to continue to be a global leader in tailor-making with more personalised trips for customers but had also developed “a lot of cruise packages” that were “a lot more immersive”.

The push on immersive Mediterranean travel includes the launch of a new 13-day ‘Inspired by The Odyssey’ itinerary across Sicily and Greece, which the operator’s destination specialists will use as a blueprint to help agents customise trips for clients.

Referring to the operator’s curated packages, Fitzell said: “Our cruise packages are differentiated so it’s not just two nights in Rome with a transfer and a half-day city tour.”

Audley Travel will also bring out a cruise brochure at the end of the year with “lots of unique products” for agents to sell.

She said the tailor-made specialist would ensure its cruise specialists were as knowledgeable and experienced as its country specialists, who have often lived, worked and travelled extensively in their destinations.