Danny Giles will take up the role of Expedition Manager for UK and Ireland with Silversea on October 21, 2019.
Speaking about his excitement to join the Silverseas team, he said: “It’s a National role covering the whole of the UK and Ireland, and I will be assisting the existing sales team with their expedition sales and also aiming to drive new business through the UK and Irish trade.
Over the last 10 years, Silverseas commitment to environmental sustainability and humanitarian efforts has extended across the world. In 2015, guests of Silversea participated in a mammal acoustic survey that successfully added three new species of animals to the national registry in the Cook and Phoenix islands. In 2017 Silversea engaged in a partnership with ORCA, one of the UK’s leading marine conservation charities, to enable guests to discover incredible marine life and contribute to the charity’s ongoing conservation work.
Touching on Silversea commitment to sustainability, Danny said: “The standard and quality of the product is outstanding. Silversea run smaller ships, which is quite nice for these delicate destinations that are going to be featured. Silversea are very conscious of sustainable tourism and are keen of look after the environments of the delicate destinations they visit. Places such as Antartica and the artic are very sensitive to the changes in our climate.
Danny said he is looking forward to exploring more of the destinations Silversea have to offer: “So far I’ve been to Greenland, Svalbard, Antartica and explored the Canadian Coastline and North East of America and I’m looking forward to visiting many more destinations with Silversea. I’m particularly looking forward to visiting the Galapagos.”
Silversea have a new expedition ship joining the fleet, Silver Origin. It is the first destination specific ship built by Silversea, and is the height of experiential travel in the Galapagos. Never before have the islands been so superbly presented. It’s the most environmentally conscious ship Silversea have ever built and is set to transform the idea of travel.
“That’s going to be a huge focus of mine,” said Danny. “The Galapagos is a big bucket list destination for many people. The islands are home to a fantastic amount of wildlife and Silversea have worked very hard to promote the eco-tourism side of the business, so they aren’t allowing larger ships to come in there.”
And Danny says, a Silversea Cruise is for everyone: “As long as people have an outdoors, expedition kind of mindset, these expedition cruises are for them. I mean everyone’s got a bit of Bear Grylls inside of them really, its just a matter of how far they want to take that. On an expedition cruise you can sit on the balcony and watch the scenery of Antarctica as you sail past or, on the other hand, you can get into the thick of things and be in the water kayaking and snorkelling in the Galapagos.
“If someone is looking to have a learning experience while they are six-star cruising then really any of the Silversea destinations are a perfect fit.”
And expedition cruising is set to be huge next year: “Expedition cruising is going to be huge, its going to be the next big thing and there’s so many opportunities for the trade to get involved and sell these fantastic adventures.
“It is a high end product, but everyone wants to go to these destinations so it’s great to get in there and make a name for yourself as someone who clients can turn to for a really superb expedition cruise.
“Everyone is looking for their next adventure so make sure that you are on that train, or ship to enjoy the benefits of selling and booking it.
And Danny will be on hand to help agents in any way he can: “I officially start with Silversea on October 21, and from then on I will have my Silversea firmly in place making sure that everybody is involved on the way Silversea operate to these wonderful destinations and I’ll be on hand, willing and able, to assist wherever possible.”
Speaking about Danny’s appointment with the cruise line, Silversea’s Amanda Middler said: “I think its great that we’ve got Danny on board, its a great complement for me. I’ve been working very closely with the agents in Ireland and Northern Ireland over the last seven years.
“We’ve actually seen a 75% growth this year on the Irish market for Silversea. It’s a great complement. I’m great at classic product, that’s what I love. Danny has fantastic knowledge of some of the destinations I can’t pronounce! It’s great that Danny will be helping with the accounts.
“Expedition is huge in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and we are finding that it is growing more and more each year. People are wanting to go to these wonderful places and once they’ve been to one they’ve got the next one on the list already! We’ve got a vey exciting 12 months planned ahead.”
Danny adds: “There’s a rich history already here for the explorers and expeditions that people can just tap into and really embrace.”
