Celestyal Cruises Partners with Hays Travel in UK Market

Celestyal Cruises and British agency Hays Travel have entered into a partnership, which is expected to capture a wide UK audience and meet the increasing demand for cruises by travel agents.

The new partnership will see Hays Travel selling Celestyal’s complete product range, which includes six different 3- to 7-day Aegean cruises and the 7-day Cuba Cruise.

“This partnership marks an exciting step in the continuing development of our UK sales strategy. Hays is a market leader with a strong specialization in cruises and we’re confident that together we will generate strong sales,” said Celestyal Cruises CEO Kyriakos Anastassiadis.

Hays Travel will package the cruises with a selection of transport options and ground arrangements from the UK.

“The product will be rolled out to all of our retail agents and homeworkers, as well as Hays Travel Independence Group members,” said Jonathon Woodall, group head of commercial at Hays Travel. “The Celestyal product will also be available through Hays Tour Operating Limited, giving other independent agents across the UK the opportunity to offer these cruises to their customers,” he added.

Agent incentives and training on the Celestyal Cruises product are in planning and expected to be announced by Hays in the coming months.

Celestyal Cruises is one of the leading cruise lines serving the Greek Islands and circumnavigating the island of Cuba year round. The company operates five mid-sized vessels, each one intimate enough to provide highly-personalized services.

Hays Travel is a family-run business that started in the north-east of England in 1980. Today it is among UK’s largest independent travel agencies with 156 branches nationwide.