SIGNATURE Travel Network’s cruise program in Australia has been warmly embraced by the majority of its members since launching last year (CW 09 Aug).
Speaking with Cruise Weekly recently, the network’s MD for Australia and NZ, Lisa Harrison, said Signature is now working to grow the appeal of its cruise program in Australia even further.
She said Signature wants to deliver a program that Australian travel advisors can not get anywhere else, as reinforced by Chief Executive Officer Alex Sharpe during his visit Down Under last year (CW 10 Oct).
“We are one of the largest sellers, if not the largest in the world of luxury cruising, so when we launched with 12 cruise partners, the strategy was to tailor the program around our Australian members’ needs,” Harrison said.
She added Signature has not come into the local market with its full suite of cruise partners by design, with the initial focus being solely on luxury cruise brands, before a planned introduction of its range of marquee expedition brands down the track.
Signature’s dozen SIG Cruise Pro partners in Australia is just a third of the 36 the network boasts in the United States.
“We haven’t [entered the Australian market] with the full suite because…we are really trying to be attractive to agencies that have a luxury customer base – whether that is just luxury cruise or across all of our programs.”
Testament to its appeal, Harrison also revealed that several members had joined its network purely based on its luxury cruise appeal.
Outlining some of the major points of difference with its competitors, Harrison said its “compelling price point” is a major factor, as well as exclusive benefits, value proposition, and first-class training program. AB
