ABERCROMBIE & Kent Travel Group (AKTG) has begun an alignment process that will see various A&K land tours married up with Crystal Cruise departures to offer travellers the opportunity to seamlessly combine the two.
At the centre of the objective is A&K’s Small Group Journeys, which average at around 12 passengers and are capped at 18.
The move is an expansion of an existing offering which allows Crystal passengers to select from a range of pre-prepared bespoke pre- and post-cruise land extensions in a selection of cities to undertake on their own.
Once the integration is complete, full A&K Small Group Journeys of up to 18 travellers will be timed to coincide with Crystal Cruises embarkations.
Speaking to Cruise Weekly, AKTG Vice President Sales for Australia & New Zealand Susan Haberle said the ultimate goal is to create a one-stop shop for the trade to book both products for their clients.
“You’re doing your Crystal booking and you’ve got Small Group Journeys [and] we will do more and more of those as we develop our product on these joint initiatives, Small Group Journeys and Crystal.”
A major hurdle in the path of a full integration, however, comes in scheduling A&K Small Group Journeys far enough in advance to fit with Crystal port bookings, with cruise lines typically locking these in many years in advance.
Currently, Crystal has the first half of 2027 available, with the second half becoming available in the next few weeks, making almost three full calendar years open for booking.
The A&K side is currently more limited, with only 2026 expedition cruises available at present, and 2026 Small Group Journeys about to launch.
“Unfortunately, it never is as far ahead, but we’ll certainly have an indication of what we’re going to be able to do in a few weeks time,” Haberle said.
“The client books a ’26 Crystal cruise in Oct ’26, then we’ll be able to look at the Small Group Journeys range, put a tailor made itinerary [together].
“We haven’t got the exact pricing [but] as soon as the pricing drops in, we’ll be able to get that for them,” Haberle said.
The gradual integration of both Crystal and A&K has been underway since AKTG purchased Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony from the defunct Genting Hong Kong operation two years ago (CW 20 Jan 2022).
Travel advisors will also find more opportunities to experience both brands on famil programs, with Connoisseur Club members able to experience both brands in the one trip.
The first group to enjoy this new arrangement is currently in India on a famil led by Sales Director Alexa Papoulias, experiencing A&K land product before flying to Mumbai for a three-night Crystal sailing to Colombo.
Haberle said A&K may become a more visible presence on board Crystal by gradually assuming operational control of the cruise line’s shore excursions.
“We haven’t got to this stage yet where they will be branded A&K – potentially they could be as we develop them – but what we will promote is on certain cruises where we have a strong foothold, the shore excursions will be run by our teams on the ground.”
AKTG currently operates more than 60 DMC offices worldwide, opening recently in Mexico. ML
