| Cruising to success

CRUISE wholesaler Creative Cruising is primed for growth following Express Travel Group’s acquisition of the brand from The Travel Corporation in Dec last year (CW 14 Dec).
Speaking with Cruise Weekly at the Select Travel Group conference in Macao last week, Tom Manwaring, ceo Express Travel Group, indicated ambitions for the brand, stating “we’re very keen to grow and expand it to double the size in as short amount of time as possible”.
Key to achieving the expansion was a combination of better technology to underpin operations, as well as adding to the cruise partners Creative Cruising currently has available.
A round of discussions was underway “to add more wholesale agreements and cruise partners aboard”.
Manwaring added a probable time line of two years was envisaged for the expansion, with the “current growth in Creative Cruising at strong double digits,” and that “we see the future of the company very brightly”.
Manwaring affirmed Creative Cruising would remain a stand-alone brand that would “run as a separate business with a separate management team”.
Pictured is Tom Manwaring at the Select Travel Group conference, which was held at the newly opened MGM Cotai hotel in Macao.