Cruising Excursions changes company structure

Cruising Excursions has appointed former Tui boss John Wimbleton to its board as chairman, amid a raft of changes to its corporate structure.

Director Simon Purchase has resigned from his post, relinquishing his shares to a group of renowned industry figures including Chris Photi and Richard Knight. A company statement said that Purchase had left to pursue other commercial directions.

Simone Fairbanks, former general manager, has been promoted to chief operating officer. She will join the board of directors with Wimbeton and Knight.

Cruising Excursions is credited by many for offering an alternative shore excursion options for passengers, often at a reduced price. The company has also embraced the trade and offers 16% commission on sales.

Chris Photi of White Hart Associates said: “I’ve watched and been impressed by cruisingexcursions’ rapid growth over the years – it launched with 240 excursions at 60 Med ports and now has around 10,000 excursions at more than 700 ports worldwide.

“The company has recently expanded into Europe and the website is available in French, German and Dutch versions. There is representation in the USA and is expanding rapidly in Australia thanks to a deal with the appointed GSA Harvey World Travel.

“I believe this company will continue to go from strength to strength – virtually every month it has exceeded its targets,” he added. “The trade has embraced the concept of pre- selling cruising excursions but there is a huge untapped consumer market out there and we will be directing investment in addressing this area in the next stage of growth.”