Destination Plymouth is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Cruise Business Development Manager, for the city and the port, Glen Gardner.
The aim of the role is to deliver business development and marketing services to support the growth of cruise visits to Plymouth.
Glen brings a wealth of experience with him, having more than 20 years’ experience in the cruise industry including five years working on board. After deciding to work ashore, Glen worked for the worlds’ biggest cruise operator Carnival in Southampton, initially in customer services and later cruise operations.
Since then, Glen has worked with a number of organisations including Associated British Ports (ABP) Port of Southampton, where he was appointed Key Account Manager for Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, and managed the largest most technologically advanced cruise terminal in the UK. Glen also has worked in Cruise Manager and Guest Port Services Manager roles throughout his career.
He said: “I was born and raised in Devon and am delighted to be returning to the area after 20 years away. I’m passionate about the region as well as the cruise industry and look forward to putting Plymouth firmly on the UK cruise map.
“Having gained extensive experience in the industry, I’ve identified opportunities for Plymouth to expand its cruise business and can’t wait to work with Destination Plymouth and our partners to see this come to fruition.”
Working with key city partners AB Ports, Cattewater Harbour Commissioners and Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and Plymouth City Centre Company, which run the city’s Business Improvement Districts, Destination Plymouth has successfully grown the cruise business in the city from zero visits in 2017 to a planned 10 visits in 2021 (pre-COVID), bringing over 10,000 passengers to the city spending in excess of £1 million annually. There are ambitious plans for growth, working with key port and wider city partners.
Adrian Vinken, Chairman of Destination Plymouth said: “Developing Plymouth’s cruise offering is one of the star projects in our Visitor Plan for 2020-2030 and our ambitions include increasing the volume of cruise visits and creating a better welcome for passengers. We’re delighted to be working with Glen to help make this a reality.”