A Chorley cruise concierge firm has landed a multi-million pound deal on the eve of its first birthday.
Despite launching only one year ago, Cruise118.com beat off competition from top names in the travel industry to secure the deal with travelsupermarket.com
They will now be the exclusive providers of cruise holidays to the website as part of a maj
or overhaul of its services.
Reacting to the news, director Mal Barritt said: "Despite being relatively new in the industry, we are the market leaders when it comes to customer service and technology which is why there is great synergy with travelsupermarket.com
"It is renowned for finding consumers the best possible prices and it was essential they found a supplier they could rely on to provide the best deals available on thousands of cruise holidays."
The deal coincided with the opening of the new Captain's Lounge at the Cruise118 head office at the Moorlandgate Business Park in Cowling Road.
Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle joined Coun Terry Brown and Coun Hasina Khan for the celebrations on Friday.
Talking about the first year of business, James Cole, also a director, said: "It has certainly been an exciting first year, but also a bit of a rollercoaster. We have started out in the worst recession in 60 years and are still really proud of what we have achieved.
"The cruise market continues to grow and our cruise concierge concept has proved really successful."
The company has made its mark in the tourism industry – landing
online travel agent of the year at the Agent Achievement Awards and New Voice Media award for innovation and customer service.
James added: "We have gone back to good old customer service and have launched niche websites that include alaskaonly.com and
sailfromuk.com.
"We have done our research and found that customers are willing to travel some distance to research their cruise, and we are looking forward to meeting our customers face-to-face with the creation of the new lounge."
The Captain's Lounge has facilities to show DVDs about the cruises on offer and will have dedicated staff on hand who will help customers choose their perfect holiday.
MP Mr Hoyle said: "Cruise118 is a great example of a local business success story – one which is even more remarkable given the difficult times in which the firm has launched.
"The company has created dozens of local jobs for management, sales and support staff and they are once again on the recruitment trail which is fantastic news for the area."
