Cruises International - sold!

BIDTRAVEL’S purchase
of profitable, cruising
niche business, Cruises
International, was finalised
earlier this month.
“The purpose of building
a successful business is
that you’d eventually be
able to sell it,” says ceo of
Cruises International, George
Argyropoulos. He says the
sale came at the perfect time,
not only is it the company’s
25th birthday this year, but
Cruises has reached a point
where its growth needs to be
accelerated. “As one person,
you can only take it so far.”
The sale is expected to
benefit Cruises as a company,
travel agents and clients alike.
A larger customer base,
expansion into more African
countries and the possibility
of bringing a cruise line on
either a limited or extended
season around Africa are all
on the cards. George says
by tapping into BidTravel’s
network of clients and
products, Cruises has more
clout when negotiating with
big cruise brands.
The three global brands
that BidTravel owns – HRG
Rennies, BCD and CWT – all
have businesses and clientele
that extend into Africa, says
Lidia Folli, ceo of BidTravel.
“There is great opportunity
in the availability of these
partner networks.”
As part of the BidTravel
group, Cruises will potentially
offer clients greater availability
to additional services, says
George, such as easier
access to forex, insurance
products and meet-and-greet
services.
“Our core mission is still
to assist a distribution chain
[of cruise products] to travel
agents, wholesalers and
incentive and MICE operators
to build a sustainable cruise
business,” says George. He
adds that this means there
won’t be any favouritism
towards BidTravel clients
at the expense of Cruises’
existing client base.
Although George says he
has no plans to retire just
yet, the deal also gives
him more freedom to plan
an appropriate succession
plan. “There’s now a proper
support system that allows
the business to remain
successful if I want to explore
the possibility of spending
more time with my family,”
he says.
Negotiations surrounding the
deal, described by Allan Lunz,
deputy chairman of BidTravel
as “the longest courtship
in travel history”, began five
years ago when BidTravel was
looking to expand its leisure
division.
“Cruising also suits the
type of market we cater for,”
he says, “particularly MICE,
as it’s all-inclusive. You only
unpack once and there is
the opportunity of visiting
bucket-list destinations
that are often popular with
corporate clients.”