 |
|
POSTED: 16 DECEMBER 2011 Face-to-face with ecruising's Brett Dudley In the first of an occasional series on travel-industry personalities, David Ovens reckons Brett has well and truly made his mark. They said he’d never make it. In fact, many scoffed and more sniggered but, 10 years on, Brett Dudley is the proud owner of the Australian internet operation that sells more cruise holidays than anyone else. It was January 2000 and individuals and companies were throwing money at internet-based companies like there was no tomorrow — but there was a tomorrow and it led to IT companies splashing on the footpaths outside stock exchanges all over the world. But not Brett Dudley’s ecruising. Although it had quickly absorbed his life savings, Dudley was confident that cruising the world’s oceans would become the fastest-growing leisure pastime the world has seen. Because of its structure, ecruising is now able to offer potential travellers unique pricing on hundreds of cruise holiday packages with some cruise companies providing Brett with exclusive prices — which, when combined with the economies of the internet, provide best possible deals for customers. Dudley started his operation with a director of the similarly geared general travel agency, travel.com.au, though he owned his business, employed the staff, paid the bills and a commission to travel.com.au. He called on cruise lines, telling them of his plans to sell voyages around the world on the net, but they all said “No one would ever buy a cruise holiday off an internet-based company.” ecruising.travel went on to revolutionise the way people bought a cruise holiday and still leads the way in technology today as it is the only cruise travel company with online booking facilities. Even today, no one else can allow consumers to book online in one complete transaction. In 2002, Dudley started something just as controversial, a wholesale division, Cruiseagents which sells to travel agents. Cruiseagents would go on to have agreements with 33 cruise lines, 21 airlines and 64 hotels around the world. In 2006, having parted company with travel.com.au two years earlier, Cruiseagents got the contract to supply cruise packages to one of the biggest travel companies in the world, Travelocity — an agreement covering Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and India. Today, ecruising.travel has established a worldwide presence in the cruising, hotel and airline industry and employs 32 people in its Sydney and Hong Kong offices. During its 10 years in operation, the company has won more than 50 accolades from various cruise lines, hotels and airlines, even from Great Southern Railways! In 2009, it won the City of Sydney Business Award for Tourism, the first travel company ever to win this award. In 2010, it won the Contribution-to-Industry award from the Hong Kong Government for its contribution to trade between Hong Kong and Australia — again the first travel company to win this award. As Brett Dudley says: “These awards are more significant to us than the travel awards, because it shows that we have a great business, not just a travel business, but one that can compete head-on with any company in Australia.” AND, Brett’s favourite holiday destination: “Arnhem Land in northern Australia. It’s a fabulous place to escape the world and technology, great barra fishing as well! Mt Borradaile in Arnhem Land for me is a place every Australian should visit. Unfortunately, not many people know the region — something we should rectify.” |
Brett Dudley ... was confident that cruising the world’s oceans would become the fastest-growing leisure pastime the world has seen.
|
