Swan Hellenic to grow UK sales team after bookings boom

Swan Hellenic has opened a UK office and is set to expand its sales team following a “huge” acceleration in sales.

UK general manager Mario Bounas (pictured) said sales were nine times higher in quarter one of this year compared with the same period last year.

He said the brand was successfully educating the trade on its new fleet and “unique offering which combines soft adventure with a thirst for knowledge”, adding that agents were “quick to spot an opportunity” for their clients.

Bounas said the appointment of Luke Clarke as sales director UK and Ireland in 2023 had fuelled growth, with plans to add an additional member to the UK sales team later this year. The line has recently invested in opening an office in central London as it looks to grow further.

He said: “This year has been astronomical in growth for us – we’ve had new staff, new partners, new consumer activity and it all has resulted in a real boost in awareness and sales for us. We ended quarter one of this year 900% up over 2023 which is phenomenal but it did take us by surprise.

“We’ll be looking to add an additional sales person in quarter three to keep us on this onwards trajectory.”

Bounas said that 95% of bookings from the UK came from the UK trade, adding that the vast majority had come from independents.

He said ship visits were crucially important for explaining the product, with opportunities available in Dublin, Leith, Aberdeen and Newcastle this summer. Other resources available for the trade include an online resource library which boasts a back catalogue of video content from every sailing and itinerary the brand has completed.

“There’s no better sales tool than for our agent partners to be able to share video footage from past sailings, especially if that particular sailing is happening again.”