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With the recent announcement of the closure of Discover the World Marketing in Australia, I asked Stewart Williams, Celestyal Cruises’ Regional Manager for APAC whether that had impacted on Celestyal’s sales, marketing and distribution activity in Australia and New Zealand.
He told me, “Traditionally, many Australian and New Zealand travel agents have looked at Discover the World Marketing as Celestyal Cruises’ ‘Official GSA’.”
He added, ” they have booked directly through them, mainly because in the past, Celestyal Cruises had an extremely limited direct profile in this market.”
He said, “That’s why I was employed in late 2018, to help grow the local Celestyal Cruises brand awareness etc., but unfortunately, Covid stopped all my brand development activity in 2020/21”, adding, “So, with the closing of Discover the World Marketing, some Australian and New Zealand travel agents may think that Celestyal Cruises is no longer trading in Australian and New Zealand, which is absolutely untrue, and it is business as usual!”
He also said, “Historically, Celestyal has always used multiple appointed Distribution Partners and that remains the case today”.
I asked him what was Celestyal’s relationship with Discover the World Marketing and he responded, “Discover the World Marketing was a Preferred Distribution Partner, not a GSA, and they did a very good job promoting Celestyal Cruises to the retail trade over the past 8 years”, adding “Discover the World Marketing was not Celestyal Cruises’ exclusive representatives?
I then asked Stewart, “Who are your established trade distribution partners” and he responded, “Sun Island Holidays, Travel the World Marketing, Greece & Mediterranean Travel Centre, Cruise Traveller  & Cruise World (NZ)”
I also asked “What is the difference between them and Discover the World Marketing and he responded, “Travel the World Marketing, Cruise Traveller  & Cruise World (NZ) are similar to DTW, as they distribute the Celestyal Cruises product to travel agents, while Sun Island Holidays & Greece & Mediterranean Travel Centre generally distribute Celestyal Cruises as part of their inclusive brochure packages, etc.”
A report by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor.