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Flight Centre adds third UK leisure business with purchase of 30+ year old cruise company

Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) has bought Cruise Club UK to further boost its footprint in the burgeoning cruise market.

Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) has bought Cruise Club UK to further boost its footprint in the burgeoning cruise market.

FCTG has made a few waves in the cruise sector of late. Earlier this year, it resurrected its Cruiseabout brand and has since opened stores in Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. The group had also planned to open more stores in Sydney and Melbourne in 2024. 

In addition, Flight Centre opened a brand-new wholesale division called CruiseHQ in Australia. 

FCTG CruiseClub UK

Flight Centre Travel Group says the newly acquired Cruise Club UK will be integrated into the group’s Ignite brand, with Ignite Founder Randall Deer becoming Cruise Club UK’s new Managing Director.

Cruise Club Founder and current majority owner Paul Edge Snr and his son Paul Edge Jnr will continue to work with the business as it merges with Ignite.

FCTG Global Leisure CEO James Kavanagh says the acquisition would speed up the company’s UK expansion, following the success of Ignite’s MyCruises model.

FCTG Leisure Global CEO James Kavanagh.
Flight Centre Travel Group Leisure Global CEO James Kavanagh.

“Cruise Club will join our current UK leisure brands Flight Centre and Scott Dunn to further diversify our offering this market and strengthen our presence in the global cruise sector,” he states.

“As we look to increase cruise sales and expand Ignite’s offering internationally, we are excited by the potential in the UK and the parallels with Australia, where the Ignite model and MyCruises have proven so successful.”

Kavanagh says Flight Centre aims to replicate that success in Britain – a “top-three source market” for global cruising and one estimated to be double the size of the Australian market.

Aerial shot of cruise ship at sea with wake.
Aerial shot of cruise ship at sea.

“Given Ignite’s procurement, packaging and advertising expertise, which allows the business to secure additional bonuses and create extra value for customers, we’re confident we can deliver an innovative and disruptive offering that will quickly prove popular,” he adds.

“Already, we have seen strong support from suppliers, who are keen to work with us to grow this sector, and from potential customers who responded strongly to a My Cruises-style offer that Cruise Club recently trialled.

“We are also very excited to work with the Cruise Club UK team to build on the strong platform that has been established over some 30 years and to broaden the product offering to include the exclusive packages that MyCruises has become famous for.”

Cruising Flight Centre
Cruising is appealing to every generation.

FCTG Managing Director Graham Turner says the move is a small but key step to rebuilding the group’s leisure business in the Northern Hemisphere.

“We see solid future growth prospects in both the UK and America and we are keen to pursue these opportunities, both organically and, in some instances, through acquisitions like Cruise Club where there is a strong strategic and operational rationale,” he states.

“This acquisition gives us the ability to quickly and cost effectively launch our offering, plus immediate access to expertise, systems and infrastructure that we don’t currently have locally.”

For more information on the Cruise Club UK, click here.