Unforgettable Travel Group is planning to host agents on small ship cruises in 2024 as part of a drive to increase its focus on travel agents.

The company operates four brands – Unforgettable Travel Company, Unforgettable Croatia, Unforgettable Greece and Cruise Croatia – and plans to launch a fifth brand in June.

Graham Carter, co-founder and commercial director, said the company has been dealing in a “reactive” way with agents, perhaps if their clients found the brand after a Google search, for example.

It has been making £3.6 million a year by booking via agents with this reactive strategy but now aims to be more proactive with a dedicated partnerships team led by European specialist Pietro Molica-Lazzaro.

The company plans an agent portal, plus educational resources, white label social media assets, window displays, trade-friendly brochures, email marketing templates, a loyalty club, incentives, joint marketing and fam trips.

Rather than dedicated fam trips which operate at the start or end of a sailing season, agents will be able to have a cabin on a sailing with customers in the summer months, Carter added.

About 60 places will be made available next year.

“Cruises with guests are best in July and August; we want to keep it real and for the agents to have fun,” he added.

The group has about 400 agents on its database and is looking to work with more of those who sell in the luxury sector.