Unforgettable Croatia co-founder Graham Carter talks to Karryon about his memorable first meeting with his now wife, and how a decision to build a luxury travel brand during COVID turned into a multinational business with A$60 million turnover a year.
When South African-born Graham Carter first met his Estonian wife on an easyJet flight and they exchanged numbers, he never imagined they’d be running a travel business together, let alone one that was so successful its competitors asked to be bought out.
Carter and Julia Shikina had never worked in travel when they started Unforgettable Travel – however, you could argue they had the perfect professional partnership for it.
He was a marketer, and she had worked in corporate finance – and they loved to travel.
So with two silent partners from the travel industry, and after much research, they launched the Unforgettable brand a decade ago from their living room.
Now, the family-owned multinational business has offices in London, New York, Split, Athens, Cape Town, and Melbourne – and a staff of 80.
Unforgettable Travel was joined by Unforgettable Croatia (which had its first season in 2021), Unforgettable Greece and Cruise Croatia. Multiple accolades followed, including seventh best cruise line in the world by Condé Nast Traveller’s readers’ choice awards and Carter named a Travel + Leisure A-List travel specialist, made more remarkable when they didn’t know what a Destination Management Company (DMC) was when they started.
“We didn’t know much about the industry when we started; I remember someone asking if we wanted to be part of a ‘famil’, and I was like, “what’s that?”.
“But that has played to our strengths because we built the entire business around relationships and how we would want to be treated from our own travel experience. We really wanted to do something different and disrupt the market.”
And that they did, with a competitor directly approaching them.
“We had these welcome packs that cost an absolute fortune, and we always focused heavily on personalisation, and our competitors could see what we were offering, and we were approached because they said they didn’t feel they could continue against that level of service.
“We didn’t buy them because it wasn’t the right fit, but they sold, and it gave us the ability to continue to grow, and we still focus on that. I set up WhatsApp groups for every single trip so we can ensure every guest has the right level of service and experience.”
It seems to have worked, and Carter now has plans for A$120 million turnover a year in the next five years – and Australian luxury travellers and travel advisors play a key part of that.
“Australia is a really important and growing market. Most of our growth from Australia is to Croatia, and I think that’s because unlike places like Greece, it’s seen as fairly untouched.”
Unforgettable Croatia’s 36-guest luxury vessels sail along Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, mainly departing from Split or Dubrovnik, with the option to visit Hvar, Trogir, Vis, Korcula, Slano and Ston.
But it’s not just the destination Australian travellers care about; it’s getting outside of the standard Old Town and really immersing in the culture, says Carter – something it excels in.
“Along the Croatian coast in particular, smaller ships allow access to ports, islands and swim spots that simply aren’t accessible to larger vessels.”
And Carter says despite the current geopolitical situation, demand from Australia continues to grow.
“We were worried about this, but while nervous initially, we’ve had very few cancellations and bookings are still very strong.
“Australians love to travel and they love the sea, and it’s crystal clear sea here, like a lake, and it’s like being on your own small luxury yacht slipping between islands, and when they get off to go oyster harvesting or on a cultural tour, you’re straight back on because we dock right in port.
“Australians are highly active and adventurous and love to travel this way, and their interest in Croatia just continues to grow.”
Forging a strong future
New ships are now on the cards, as they look to grow the fleet.
“We’ll grow the fleet in Croatia, but we are selective who we work with and want to build the business with the right people,” says Carter.
The model is to offer one million euros to captains to build ships where Unforgettable Croatia holds a stake.
“We invest with experienced captains to build ships so we can operate our own vessels. Many of these captains have had boats in the past, and this model means we can ensure an exceptional standard.”
Under the Unforgettable Travel brand, Carter says it’s also going to expand across Asia.
“We will launch a dedicated Asia brand later this year to cater for the increased business we’re seeing in Japan and Korea, and we want to focus more on that area and expand across the region.”
He says Korea in particular is seeing significant growth, thanks to Japan, where you can have similar experiences without the crowds.
As for what he’s most proud of?
“We’ve built a strong team around us and are considerate about who we appoint, and we’re looking to grow that over the next five years, but it’s not about being the biggest; we want to remain niche so we can design bespoke trips and have phenomenal service – that is how we have disrupted the market, and it’s what drives us every day.”
For more information, visit Unforgettable Croatia.
