Travelyields was formed by David Selby, Managing Director of Thomson (now known as Marella Cruises and Island Cruises for over 10 years, elected Board member of the UK Passenger Shipping Association – now CLIA UK (Cruise Lines International Association), and an invited Fellow of the UK Institute of Travel and Tourism.

During his tenure, Thomson Cruises grew four-fold to carry over ¼ million guests annually at a turn-over of over £260 million. It was transformed from a varied assortment of 3rd party charters to a fully branded and controlled fleet of ships, profitably operating to over 120 ports. Four ships were acquired during that time, using various financial and contractual structures which allowed Thomson to enter the UK Tonnage Tax Scheme, saving the company £millions in the first year.

Amongst its milestones under his leadership, Thomson Cruises was:-

• The first cruise line to introduce on-board drinks packages as a yield management tool, now copied by cruise lines worldwide.
• The first cruise line to introduce the Red Sea as a cruising region, with itineraries copied by cruise lines throughout Europe.
• The first major cruise line to embark passengers from the Port of Tyne UK, in 2005, recognised with an award from the port in 2012 as a major contributor to cruise tourism in the area, now worth £45m to the local economy.

Travelyields was formed in 2011. There are a number of guiding principles that govern the way business has been done since day one.

INTEGRITY – We strive to complete each project with the upmost of integrity. We work with people of all levels, from global brand CEO’s to ships’ crew to specialist suppliers. Client feedback has suggested we are completely trustworthy, beat deadlines, and are extremely easy to work with.

FLEXIBILITY – Whether it is our approach to fee structures or the daily hours we put into a project, we will ensure clients are satisfied with our work. We believe that the cruise industry community is small and work to the premise that news of a project completed to the dissatisfaction of clients will travel quickly. Travelyields is proud to have worked with clients on a retained basis for up to four years.

HONESTY – There is no other policy. We don’t BS, and whilst it has never happened, if we require additional specialist expertise for a project, we will obtain it, at no extra cost to the client.

RIGOUR – We aim to get to the crux of the issues and choose not to take scenarios at face value. We will question and question again until we are truly satisfied that our recommendations and conclusions make total sense.

VALUE FOR MONEY – Travelyields is a low overhead business and the benefit of this is invariably passed on to clients. Having beaten larger consultancy companies to major port market assessment projects, we know we can offer value for money, regardless of project size or budget.

POSITIVITY – We enjoy what we do! We are lucky enough to operate in one of the most fantastic business sectors around. Hopefully we show it and some of our infectious enthusiasm rubs off on our clients.