Virtuoso recently held its 36th annual Virtuoso Travel Week, which featured two new cruise award categories: Best Small Ship Cruise Line went to Aqua Expeditions, and Cruise Ambassador celebrated Melinda Gregor of Australia-based Gregor & Lewis Bespoke Travel.
We sat down with Gregor to get her take on the recognition.
How does it feel to become Virtuoso’s first Cruise Ambassador?
I feel honored to receive the inaugural Virtuoso Cruise Ambassador Award. It was a real shock, but a nice surprise.
I was selected by Virtuoso’s leadership team as recognition for my passion for cruising — I’m always willing to share knowledge, help others grow their business and deeply engage with cruise partners.
What exactly does the position entail?
It is more of an award that recognizes a Virtuoso advisor whose commitment to the network’s cruise partners stands out [in terms of] their support, amplification and engagement. [I’m] credited with making a measurable impact on cruise sales and innovation.
Please tell us a little bit more about yourself and your agency. How did you get started with Virtuoso?
I have been in the travel industry for 39 years, and started out with Qantas Holidays back in the 1980s. I then spent three years in the Mediterranean working as a tour leader taking groups around Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Syria and Turkey.
I then moved back to Australia, where I managed the outbound division of Abercrombie & Kent for five years before moving up to the Kimberley region of Australia and working at an exclusive property called El Questro.
I then moved to Noosa on the beautiful Sunshine Coast of Australia 20 years ago, and established my own agency: Gregor & Lewis Bespoke Travel. We specialize in luxury small-ship and expedition cruising. [I chose this] specialty because this is the way I like to travel.
We rejoined Virtuoso back in 2016, and haven’t looked back since.
How does your agency innovate in the cruise market, specifically?
[We innovate] with our focus on expedition cruising and [the way we] get international guest speakers to present, in-person, to our clients. It makes a huge difference when our clients can hear about the experience firsthand from someone that has been to Antarctica more than 80 times.
Are there any particular cruise segments or lines that you predominantly sell?
We sell all segments; however, [we focus] predominantly on the luxury brands.
What do you foresee for the future of cruise travel, both from a sales point of view and a customer service perspective?
For our clients, the future is for smaller ships with a greener footprint, and a number of luxury cruise lines are launching ships with a much stronger focus on green energy, like [Silversea’s] Silver Nova and Silver Ray.
I also see a lot of luxury hotel brands moving into the cruise market and bringing a lot of new-to-cruise clients to cruising, which is great. The newer luxury ships like [Explora Journeys’] Explora I, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s yachts and the previously mentioned Silversea ships are more like floating boutique hotels with their innovative designs — which is very exciting for both the customer experience and from a sales perspective.
Do you have any tips you would share with fellow travel advisors who are just getting started in the industry?
Don’t try to be everything for everyone. Work out what your passion is in the industry and focus on that, and your passion will shine through and lead to sales and a successful career.
