Why regional, personal trade engagement is more important than ever | News
Across the cruise sector and the wider travel industry, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: in a world of digital tools, virtual training and AI-powered content, face-to-face connection still drives the strongest commercial results. Travel remains a relationship business, and nowhere is that more evident than in the way we support and engage our agent partners – or as we call them at Virgin Voyages, our First Mates.
The product is experiential, especially for cruises. You can describe the all-day dining, entertainment and atmosphere on board, but nothing compares to stepping on board and feeling and seeing it with your own eyes. Therefore, ship visits and personal visits are not ‘nice to have’; they are essential.
This summer we are taking Valiant Lady – freshly upgraded from her recent dry dock – to more UK and Irish ports than ever before, welcoming more than 1,000 First Mates on board across multiple regional calls. That distribution is deliberate. Not every agent can travel to one showcase event in one city, nor should they have to. By allowing agents to board in Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool, Belfast, Edinburgh and Portsmouth, we are meeting the trade where they are and increasing access. They will also be among the first to see her latest additions, including Ariya, our modern Indian restaurant.
Regionality matters because the UK trading landscape is not one-size-fits-all. Retail agencies, remote workers, regional consortia and specialty vendors each have different needs and customer profiles. When we’re in the market and having face-to-face conversations, we can tailor conversations, answer real booking questions, and connect product features directly to the customers agents serve every day.
This approach builds on the momentum we have already seen this year. In January alone, our regional sales team reached more than 1,000 agents through store visits, corporate headquarters acquisitions and in-person training sessions at dozens of locations across the country. That level of presence takes time and investment, but the returns are clear: stronger product trust, higher value bookings and true brand advocacy.
Ship visits go one step further. When First Mates experience our child-free ships for themselves – the food, the entertainment, the atmosphere – they sell with greater credibility and assurance. And the good news is that we want to go one step further in 2027; First mates, watch this space.
For us, supporting trade is not a campaign moment, but an ongoing commitment. The brands that will grow sustainably in the UK market are those that are willing to hit the road, answer questions and open their doors. Or in our case: open the gangway.
SJ Walker, UK Sales Director, Virgin Voyages
