New Imagine Cruising chief targets more ‘strategic partnerships’

New Imagine Cruising chief executive Tony Roberts has outlined his ambitions to grow the business globally through more “strategic partnerships”, including with the UK trade.

The company primarily operates as a tour operator business but also has a retail arm specialising in cruise-and-stay itineraries.

Roberts joined Imagine Cruising as chief commercial officer in April 2025 and was appointed chief executive of the group earlier this month as part of a planned transition, which will see current co-founders Robin Deller and Natalie Maye leave the business in the summer.

Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, Roberts said “the core of the business” will remain the same, which will see it continue to “curate luxury cruise and tour experiences in bucket list destinations”, but there was “headroom for growth” and scope to grow trade relationships.

Since last May the specialist has agreed partnerships with the Advantage Travel Partnership and Barrhead Travel in the UK and Roberts said: “We are continuing to look at the opportunities to expand that and introduce new partners, but we’re doing that very much with a  focus on partnership, on training and on making sure we are honing [in on] that, so it is not a race.

“We’re looking at how we effectively work with trade partners to get the Imagine Cruising product in front of their audiences, and how we can support them and help them on that journey. 

“We have a team of six now in the UK devoted to driving our B2B business and want to continue to grow that into the coming years.”

He added the company has to be “very careful to protect the core of the business” which is based on partnerships between its main tour operation and its growing retail arm with cruise lines, land-based tours, train and airline partners and distribution.

Roberts said: “My goal is to continue to develop those strategic partnerships and to continue to work effectively with those partners.

“We have a core business around several locations around the world, and we’re also continuing to look at opportunities to innovate and to offer something a little bit different.”

Linked to that is another focus to “develop and evolve” new destinations and unique experiences that are “non-transferable”, he said.

Roberts added the UK was experiencing “quite considerable growth” and that the approach would be “to act globally but think locally”.

He said: “Our plan is to continue to grow all markets, and the US has got all of the headroom in the world, but there are definitely growth plans in the UK and in Australasia as well.”

The company has 300 employees across five countries, working across the retail and tour operator sides of the business.