Kate Holroyd of Darwen based Strawberry Holidays has secured a national prize worth £7,000 from World of Cruising magazine.
To enter the competition Kate had to state why she deserved the prize in just 180 characters! Kate decided to be honest in her approach and stated “”Because nobody is coming – it’s up to me to save my business and bold moves are what will get me through!”
Her entry to World of Cruising, the UK’s leading consumer cruise publication was one of hundreds and her belief in her company secured her prize which comprises of:
● A full page display advert in World of Cruising magazine
● A solus email to 40,000 readers of the magazine
● Inclusion in the Editor’s pick
● Online banner advertising across their website for 6 weeks
Totalling nearly £7,000!
The cruising sector in the UK, worth £2.58bn, is one sector within the international travel market that has experienced the most drastic downturn over recent months and Kate is determined to help reverse this trend and become an Ambassador for Cruising.
Kate is convinced cruising is one of the safest holiday options on the market and commented, “The attention to detail on health and hygiene best practices is applied uniformly onboard. Passenger screening, onboard medical facilities, a high standard of cleanliness and crew training is the norm on a cruise. The specific focus on safety is one reason why we choose to cruise as a family. One exceptional feature of cruising is that it’s not seasonal like most holidays, cruises will follow the sun, so you can cruise anytime of the year without any restrictions.”
Kate has worked in the cruise industry since 2013 and in that time has clocked up a staggering 10,000 hours of cruising, sailing over 50 nights on 7 cruise lines and onboard over 30 ships!
She continued, “You can be somewhere new and exotic every day of your holiday! That must be so appealing for people who have been stuck at home for so many months. You could even wave goodbye to a tough year by sailing off into the sunset for a Christmas cruise. I believe the challenging months we have all experienced have demonstrated that we need to take every opportunity we get, and not put things off as we just don’t know what is around the corner.”
There are some spectacular offers from some of the cruising organisations such as Norwegian Cruise Line who are offering unrivalled packages such as “Take All”, which provides clients with luxurious cruising options such as free drinks, free speciality dining and excursions, as well as “Peace of Mind” measures allowing clients to change or cancel their booking up to 48 hours before their travel date.
Kate concluded, “This is one of many exciting packages currently available on the market. It provides reassurance to clients knowing that they can cancel or amend their booking should circumstances change much closer to their departure date. Added to that, they will be able to keep all the benefits of their package should they choose to. I truly believe it is time for people to take advantage of the astounding offers available and have something really exciting to look forward to.”
