Making wave-breaking news today, Flight Centre Travel Group has announced the relaunch of the Cruiseabout brand in Australia along with a dedicated wholesale cruise division to shore up its strategic stake in the world’s fourth-largest cruise market.
The move will see an updated version of the customer-facing Cruiseabout brand alongside a wholesale model to support the needs of Australian cruise customers.
The Cruiseabout relaunch aims to capitalise on the growth of cruising in Australia. Primarily focused on the ‘Fly-Cruise’ segment, Cruiseabout will offer tactical deals and exclusive rates. It will also provide exclusive product with key suppliers, all leveraged under the FCTG group position and global supply network.
It will also complement FCTG’s leisure portfolio, including Flight Centre, Travel Associates, Scott Dunn, MyCruise and the FCTG Independent division, which all offer a distinct product range in this growing segment.
FCTG retired Cruiseabout, along with Escape Travel and My Adventure Travel, in 2018 amid plans to grow market share for the Flight Centre brand in Australia.
The new-look Cruiseabout
FCTG Leisure Brands CEO James Kavanagh said reviving Cruiseabout signals a distinctive offering for Australian cruisers.
“We’re able to offer a modernised and refreshed retail cruise brand to customers. Our model, with its national footprint, Australian-based call centre and online booking functionality serviced by specialist cruise experts, will be the only one of its kind in Australia,” Mr Kavanagh said.
Customers can access deals via three core channels – in-store, online and a Gold Coast call centre, due to launch at the end of 2023. The first centrally located concept store will open in early 2024.
Holistic wholesale packages
FCTG will also establish a dedicated cruise wholesaler to support the complex wholesale requirements of bundled cruise packages.
Global Supply CEO Greg Parker said the wholesaler would service FCTG brands and external independent agencies via exclusive pricing of unique packages. It will also offer products and promotions on white-label products and B2B sites.
“We’re designing a new-age trade B2B model to allow best-to-market product packaging and bundling that promotes added value for our partners and customers alike,” he said.
“We can offer exclusive pricing and product across airfares, charters, groups, nets and commits and bundle these together with hotels, transfers and tours for an unrivalled partnering model.”
For more info, head to cruiseaboutdeals.com