Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection expands UK sales team
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has appointed two new members, David Chidley and Lucy Hopkins, to its UK sales team.
Chidley joins as national sales manager with responsibility for increasing awareness and sales in the travel trade.
He previously worked for 11 years at Royal Caribbean Cruises where he was a national account manager.
Field-based, Chidley will report in to Kathryn Beadle, Uniworld UK managing director.
Hopkins has taken on the role of sales development executive, based at Uniworld’s London offices.
With a background in events and having previously worked for Hurtigruten, Hopkins will organise trade events for Uniworld, and will be responsible for agent training, educationals, marketing support, incentives and groups.
She is already organising a Chocolate Tour for trade delegates attending the River Cruise Conference in Amsterdam and a Butler training day at Blenheim Palace for trade partners to promote Uniworld’s in-suite butler service on European ships in 2016, both taking place in November.
Beadle said: "These appointments allow us to increase our agency sales and amplify our continuing support for the trade to be better than ever.
"It’s also a sign of the priority we place on the UK market and the growth potential that we see here. With a busy programme of events, training, incentives and a tour of travel agencies scheduled we look forward to introducing them to our valued partners and building new relationships too."
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is a luxury brand based on sister company, Red Carnation Hotel Collection.
The ships operate under the principle that they are floating Red Carnation Hotels with the same philosophy ‘no request too large, no detail too small’.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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