THE Travel Corporation’s (TTC)Uniworld, Contiki and Trafalgar are set to become “power brands”, as private equity firm Apollo pours further investment into the businesses as part of a restructure, announced by Uniworld Managing Director Alice Ager last night.
While the travel giant was previously organised around its brands and travel style, the restructure will put the guest “even deeper at the heart of our business”, Ager said.
At Uniworld, the team will oversee the Luxury Gold hotel business, giving the river cruise line the “superpower” to combine the experiences together from 2027 onwards.
“It’s fabulous, it’s beautiful, five-star boutique hotels, [with] Michelin star dining experiences included, and this will become part of our portfolio,” Ager said.
In addition, Uniworld will increase its ship capacity by 40% over the next five years and currently has eight new-build ships under order, including the SS Emilie, arriving in Mar.
Apollo is also keen to beef up Uniworld’s marketing and tech systems in order to “bring our brand to life”.
Partnerships will play a major role in Uniworld’s future, such as its new collaborations with Seabourn and Aqua Expeditions.
The line has already chartered an Aqua ship to Peru, and next will be Aqua Blu in Indonesia, with departures in 2027.
Uniworld will also focus on India this coming year, a destination that Ager described as “transformational” and one that “just cracked my heart open”.
“Uniworld is going to be taken to another level – we’ll be chasing the luxury traveller like never before,” said Ager.
“We’re evolving into a travel company that offers all the things to a luxury guest.” JHM
