'Taking a creative role with a well-established brand really appealed'

With oversight of all the cruise lines, he was drawn to Royal Caribbean where he had good relationships and loved the product. When a role came up there he says it felt like a natural choice to go for it.

Working in a regional role for 14 months, Morris was quickly promoted to key account manager where he became established just before the Covid pandemic hit.

“This was actually a huge opportunity for me as I spotted a trend in home-based working and the chance these agents still had for growth,” Morris notes.

He pitched a new strategy to Royal Caribbean, focusing on homeworkers, which had previously been wrapped up in wider trade plans and gained investment to develop a hub for them. He then pitched for a direct report as the business was growing rapidly each month.

“Where other sales teams were struggling, we were going from strength to strength,” he says.

Rounding of his skills

A stint at Azamara Cruises gave Morris a chance to expand his skillset. “I’m a big believer in rounding off your skills so I went into a role at Royal Caribbean working with online travel agents (OTAs) and then a broader role at Azamara with a mix of OTAs and retail. It also gave me experience in the luxury cruise sector,” he says.

The opportunity to join Kuoni came about somewhat unexpectedly. “I was approached prior to Christmas last year and reading through the job description I saw a real opportunity to work for a well-established brand but one that wasn’t on agents’ shopping lists. The challenge really appealed to me and there was an opportunity to be creative and to take feedback onboard,” he explains.

He now works on a trade team of six and says the current focus is around building the foundations for future success.

“We are working on making sure the basics are in place so we can accelerate as we move forward in the next few years. There are some exciting things coming from Kuoni.”

Looking to his own future, Morris has similarly high aspirations. “I’m in a sales role but I’m very analytical too. In the immediate future I’m keen to really understand all areas of the business and the wider industry. In the next 6-12 months I would like to find a mentor to run ideas by, scope things out with and help me work up to as high a level as possible in the next five to ten years.”

With his energy, curiosity and proactive approach, it seems there is plenty more to come from Morris.

Meet the rest of the 2024-2025 cohort of Tomorrow’s Travel Leaders