The rebirth of Cruiseabout continues with its second store opening in Queensland this week.
After a five-year absence from the retail travel landscape, the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) brand celebrated the opening of its first physical store three weeks ago in Westfield Whitford City in Perth, Western Australia.
Now, keen cruisers can hit up Cruiseabout brand’s second store in Mermaid Waters on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Cruiseabout General Manager Bradley Kennedy lauded the opening of the store in a message on social media this week.
“Store #2 has arrived , Welcome Mermaid Waters!” he stated. “This is going to be another little pocket rocket of a shop, so many amazing customers and bookings rolling in on day one! Plenty more to come.”
Recent Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) data showed that cruise holidays have become more popular than ever among Aussies. And FCTG’s dedicated cruise business will look to leverage that demand – starting with the two new stores, followed by more bricks and mortar stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Upon opening the first store in early May, Kennedy said the brand would present a unique proposition to Aussie holidaymakers, with a national physical presence and online offering.
“We’re doing something that’s unique here in Australia. Our national retail network of specialist cruise experts, local call centre and online marketplace will give customers something they’ve been missing out on,” he said.
“With record cruising numbers globally and the average age of cruisers decreasing, the pipeline of future cruisers is strong.
“We’re not just a travel agency, we’re a community of passionate cruisers who want to share our love of the industry.”
According to CLIA, Australia is the world’s fourth largest cruise market, with 1.25 million Australians taking an ocean cruise during 2023, up from 1.24 million in 2019. The top cruising destinations among Aussies are Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific (84.8 per cent of cruisers), the Mediterranean (5.3 per cent) and Asia (2.5 per cent).
FCTG announced the relaunch of the Cruiseabout brand in Australia in August 2023. At the same time, it revealed plans for a dedicated wholesale cruise division, CruiseHQ, which officially launched last month.
Kennedy was appointed General Manager of Cruiseabout earlier this year. More recently, he was joined by new Head of Product Brooke Rand.
