Ensemble Travel® Group is expanding its small ship offerings with the addition of three new niche partners-American Queen Steamboat Company, Hurtigruten and Victory Cruise Lines-to its line-up of luxury offerings.
The addition comes in tandem with market research that shows an increasing number of Ensemble members in the U.S. and Canada are looking to experience small ship and expedition sailings.
"We've been closely watching this market segment, especially the domestic river cruise side, and feel that the time is right for growing our partner base as more and more members are requesting the small ship and expedition type products," said Libbie Rice, Ensemble co-president. "We feel we're strategically positioned to deliver this experience through our innovative marketing tools, multiple training platforms, targeted database intelligence…"
The new partners were selected specifically because they fit Ensemble's marketing model.
"While each partner delivers unique features to our cruise portfolio, they all command a high price point and are in a growth mode by upgrading their respective fleets in the last year or so, both of which are key to our members' success," said Rice.
American Queen Steamboat Company
Although the American company has a solid presence in the Pacific Northwest, it's primarily American Queen's programs along the Mississippi River that attracted Ensemble. With the current growth in interest in European river cruising has come an increase in passengers looking for a similar product closer to home.
"American Queen Steamboat Company greatly values our strong relationship with the travel agent community and is thrilled to partner with the prestigious Ensemble Travel Group," said Ted Sykes, president and COO, American Queen Steamboat Company. "Exploring America's scenic rivers and quaint river towns onboard authentic paddlewheelers is more popular than ever and the Ensemble network of member agencies represents a client base consistent with our guests."
Hurtigruten
Originally founded in 1893 to operate voyages on Norway's western and northern coast, Hurtigruten has since expanded its sailings to include Arctic Canada and Antarctica.
"This new partnership brings together two seasoned organizations that collectively represent 175 years of success in our industry," said William Harber, Hurtigruten president, the Americas. "We're excited to work closely with Ensemble members as we expand our global footprint, especially as we introduce our two new hybrid-powered expedition ships-MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen-and a collection of new itineraries, sure to please all levels of the adventure enthusiast."
Victory Cruise Lines
Launched less than two years ago, Victory Cruise Lines has already introduced its second vessel, the Victory II, which will soon make its inaugural voyage from Boston. The cruise line includes numerous itineraries along coastal waterways in domestic and North American ports, including the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence.
"Victory Cruise Lines is proud to have Ensemble as our first national travel agent account in North America," said Hans Lagerweij, president and CEO. "We believe Ensemble will be a great partner, as our high-end experiential product is best sold by knowledgeable travel consultants. We offer attractive commissions on an all-inclusive product and destination experiences in some of the fastest-growing destinations in the world."
Ensemble's marketing initiatives already help support the small ship and experiential segment including Ensemble Ezine, Extraordinary Experiences magazine, experiential newsletters and small ship and river cruise direct mail. Members can take advantage of additional educational opportunities such as Ensemble EXTRAORDINARY training, "Happy Hour" training at the annual conference, live webinars, and ongoing one-on-one training through Ensemble's business development team.
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