Vedere has affirmed its commitment to agents after receiving a six-figure investment from luxury cruise seller Panache Cruises.
The Chester-based luxury sport and experiential travel firm’s ‘position with the trade absolutely hasn’t changed,’ founder and Managing Director Alex Catton told Indulge.
“Vedere remains 100% committed to our trade partners – if anything, we want to grow that side of the business considerably,” he said.
“Trade bookings already represent around 50% of what we do, and we see a major opportunity to build on that.”
Demonstrating Vedere’s ties to the trade, Alex said the company had become an approved supplier to Travel Counsellors and will be attending its first conference hosted by the homeworking group in November.
As for the investment, Alex said a ‘significant’ portion will be spent on recruitment, including the appointment of a ‘well-known’ industry name, who’s starting an undisclosed role on 19 October, and the hire of two Sports Sales Consultants.
“Ideally, we’re looking for people with a luxury travel background who are based around Chester, as the roles will be office-based three days per week,” he said. “Previous sports sales experience isn’t essential – if somebody has a genuine interest in live sport, good sporting knowledge and a strong luxury travel sales background, we’d love to hear from them.”
The funding will also be used to invest ‘heavily’ into product development, including securing ‘unique and exclusive’ sporting and experiential itineraries that ‘won’t be available anywhere else in the market’, Alex said.
Other areas of the business earmarked for investment include US expansion, marketing and technology.
Alex founded Vedere three years go after working at ITC Travel Group. It specialises in premium overseas sports events, such as the Grand Prix and the US Masters.
Panache Cruises was launched in 2020 and has grown turnover to £60m, with offices in the UK, US and Australia.
The cruise agency’s founder and CEO James Cole said the deal was part of a wider strategy to expand into other areas of the travel industry.
