UK travel agents are “so important” to Celebrity Cruises, as they represent the largest international market for the cruise line, according to new president Laura Hodges Bethge.

Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, Hodges Bethge, who replaced Lisa Lutoff-Perlo at the start of the month, declared the line will invest in the UK market to ensure it continues to grow.

“The UK is absolutely our number one largest international market, it’s so important to us,” she said. “It continues to grow and we’re going to invest in it to make sure it does.

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“The trade business is an exceptionally important part of the mix.

“When you sit in the premium space the way that we sit in it, it’s really important for us to have that interpreter and I think the travel partner is the interpreter for the customer to really understand what the value proposition of Celebrity is, what we offer, and how they can take advantage of all that we offer.”

Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-series ship Apex will homeport in Southampton next year, which is “proof” of the line’s dedication to the UK market, said Hodges Bethge.

“Our goal is to make our guests exceptionally happy and to put the right ships in the right places that are going to drive the most profitability that we can not only benefit from ourselves, but our travel agent partners can too,” she said.

“Putting an Edge-class series inside of our UK market is proof that it is growing and doing really well and that we’re excited to continue to grow in the future.”