As Celestyal Cruises' two ships gear up for their first joint season in the Gulf, CCO Lee Haslett celebrated the 211% increase in Middle East sailings and revealed the three pillars behind the 'little blue book' which transformed its trade strategy
Whilst remarkable change will come in Discovery joining Journey for the upcoming season, some iconic moments of last year's season will return this year, including Journey's star-studded arrival in Abu Dhabi just in time for the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
"We will have David Coulthard back on board, and Laura Winter, one of the F1 TV presenters, will also be joining us," Haslett said. "Then Discovery will mark its inaugural homeporting in Abu Dhabi the following week, while Journey will homeport in Qatar again this season. It’s a really exciting time."
And it is not just talking points that make Celestyal's pre-season exciting: the opportunity that remains this season is worth celebrating equally. Lee explained, "There’s still plenty of opportunity for agents this winter. It’s a late market, but the value is incredible. Just last Friday, we had our best single booking day for the Gulf in about five or six weeks. So things are really starting to pick up."
That opportunity includes an ongoing sales campaign offering up to 50% off 45 cruises and discounts on over 300 until the end of the month.
Celestyal's new trade north star
Last year, Lee teased the launch of a new trade portal at World Travel Market, later unveiled as Compass. "A year ago, we invested in Compass and Campus, our trade platform and e-learning programme," Lee said. "The response has been fantastic. We can actually see a direct link between agents who’ve done the training and those who are making Celestyal bookings."
With further marketing materials and destination insight content added to the platform since its launch, the cruise line opted not to rest on its laurels.
"In September, we decided that we would go out and survey a number of travel agents, both those who sell Celestyal regularly and those who’ve never sold us before, to understand how they talk to clients about us and what support they need."
"Agents essentially told us there are three reasons they love selling Celestyal,” Lee revealed. “We call them our three pillars: Heartfelt Journeys, Iconic Ports & Rising Stars, and The Backstage Travel Pass."
Heartfelt Journeys refers to the warm, personal touch that is a key selling point for those loyal agents. "Agents told us their clients come back saying how authentic the experience felt. We have a crew ratio of two to one, so guests really feel that Mediterranean hospitality — they get to know their waiter or cabin steward by name."
Iconic Ports & Rising Stars highlight the well-established ports of call and hidden gems that Celestyal hopes to propel to new heights. "We combine the bucket-list destinations like Santorini or Mykonos with up-and-coming places like Ras Al Khaimah or Patmos.
"That approach keeps itineraries fresh and gives agents something different to talk about."
The third and final pillar to the 'little blue book', The Backstage Travel Pass, is all about time and access. "Our itineraries are designed so guests can really experience the destination. We offer 48-hour stays in Dubai, a full day in Ras Al Khaimah, or late departures from Santorini — giving travellers the feeling that they’ve had a backstage pass to explore."
Those three pillars are now foundational to all of Celestyal’s trade communications and the next wave of updates to Compass. "We didn’t want to create another campaign just about ships and destinations. We wanted a simple, clear story that helps agents explain why Celestyal is different."
Platforming partnerships
Coming soon, agents will also find a brand-new training module within Compass, focused not on Celestyal itself, but on helping agents grow their own business.
"Agents asked us, ‘We love the training, but what else can you do to support us?'. So we’re adding a new module with tips on creating content, using social media, and working with influencers. We’ll even be pairing some of our influencer partners with agents to help them learn how to create and share great travel content."
Those influencer partnerships are not just a great opportunity to bolster Celestyal's relationships with travel agents, but are emblematic of the company's strategy across all operations.
"Our company vision is to create unmissable experiences at sea and ashore. That means two things: we want to win on experience and grow through partnerships."
How does that translate to its itinerary planning and operational strategy? Lee responded, "We always ask: Is this experience truly unique? And who can we partner with to make it even better?
"We say this a lot internally — we might be a cruise line, but we’re only successful if we have great partners: great travel partners, great trade partners, great destination partners.”
That thinking empowers travel agents with an active role in how it does business, perhaps more so than with other brands. "We’re a smaller cruise line," Haslett concluded, "so partnerships are everything — and that includes our partnerships with the trade."
Lee spoke to Travel Bulletin at 2025's World Travel Market, which took place in London from November 4th to 6th, 2025.
