GoCruise & Travel Franchise | Run Your Own Cruise Agency from Home

Turn a Love of Travel Into a Thriving Business

The cruise market is one of the most buoyant sectors in travel. More people are choosing to cruise than ever before, drawn by the appeal of destination variety, all-inclusive value and the growing sophistication of modern cruise ships. For anyone passionate about travel and the cruise industry, the GoCruise and Travel Franchise offers a genuinely exciting way to build a business around something they love, backed by the strength of one of the most established travel groups in the country.

GoCruise and Travel is part of the Fred. Olsen Travel Group, a company with a proud history in travel stretching back to 1988. The GoCruise franchise has been operating for over 25 years and now supports more than 60 franchisees across the country, ranging from home-based agents to high street travel shop owners. It is a BFA-registered franchise that has been recognised in the HSBC Elite Franchise Top 100 awards for two consecutive years.

Choose Your Own Path

The GoCruise and Travel Franchise is one of the most accessible travel business opportunities on the market, and it offers two distinct operating models:

Two routes in - a low-cost home-based agency or a branded GoCruise high-street shopfront. Franchisees pick the model that matches their lifestyle

What You Will Sell

As a GoCruise and Travel franchisee, you can offer your customers the full breadth of the cruise and holiday market. This includes all major cruise lines such as P&O Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Cunard, Fred. Olsen Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and many more, as well as luxury and specialist operators. You can also book land-based package holidays, flights and other travel services.

The brand's long-standing relationships with these cruise lines and holiday operators mean that franchisees benefit from some of the highest commission rates in the industry. The minimum commission split franchisees receive is 69%, rising to 80% on certain in-house products, compared to an industry average of around 60%. For franchisees who reach strong booking volumes, the commission earning potential is entirely uncapped.

Training and Support

No travel industry experience is required to join the GoCruise and Travel Franchise. Training is tailored to individual experience levels:

• ✓ New to travel: a comprehensive three-week Academy Training programme covering all aspects of the business
• ✓ Returning to travel: a focused one-week training course for those with prior industry experience
• ✓ Experienced travel professionals: a two-day refresher programme covering the GoCruise systems and products

Training can be completed in person at the GoCruise head office in Ipswich (with accommodation provided) or via online sessions. Beyond the initial programme, franchisees receive ongoing support from a 30-strong head office team covering marketing, booking administration, compliance and business development. A monthly franchisee meeting and annual conference keep the network connected.

All holidays sold under the GoCruise and Travel brand are ABTA and ATOL protected, giving customers complete financial peace of mind. Franchisees also benefit from personal travel perks including discounted holidays and familiarisation trips with the cruise lines they sell.

According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the cruising sector continues to set new passenger records globally, with significant growth driven by a younger and more diverse cruising demographic. The GoCruise and Travel Franchise is well positioned to capitalise on that momentum.

Inside the UK Cruise Market

Cruise has been one of the standout performers in UK travel for the past five years. According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the UK and Ireland set a record 2.4 million UK and Ireland cruise passengers in 2024, up 5.2% on the previous high, with the average passenger age now under 55. The Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Canaries dominate UK demand, while expedition itineraries, no-fly cruises from Southampton and multigenerational family sailings are all expanding fast.

That underlying demand is what makes a specialist cruise agency such an attractive proposition. Customers booking a cruise often spend more, plan further ahead and rebook more frequently than land-only travellers, and they value the reassurance of a knowledgeable agent with strong cruise-line relationships rather than a transactional online checkout.

A Day in the Life of a GoCruise Franchisee

The day-to-day pattern of a GoCruise and Travel franchisee is intentionally flexible. Most begin the morning answering enquiries by phone, email or WhatsApp from existing clients and warm leads generated through their personal website and local marketing. Mid-morning is often spent building bespoke quotes through the GoCruise quote system, which pulls live availability across cruise lines, flights, transfers and hotels into a single branded itinerary for the customer.

Afternoons typically move into supplier calls, training webinars hosted by cruise-line business development managers, and pipeline follow-ups. Bookings are processed through the head office admin team in Ipswich, which handles ticketing, invoicing, supplier payments and compliance paperwork, freeing the franchisee to focus on selling and customer care.

Marketing and Lead Generation

Each franchisee is given their own branded personal website, GoCruise email address and access to the central marketing toolkit. Head office runs national brand-building activity, including magazine distribution, eShot email campaigns, social content and design studio support, while franchisees layer their own local marketing on top. Many use group cruise departures, hosted onboard events and community presence (rotary clubs, WI talks, local press) to build a loyal repeat client base.

Awards, Recognition and Network Growth

GoCruise and Travel has built a reputation as one of the most active recruiters in UK travel franchising. Recent industry coverage has highlighted a network of 61 active franchisees, with 12 new starters in the most recent year, business volume up 8% year on year and more than 11 franchisees individually exceeding £1 million in annual holiday and cruise sales. The brand has been named in the HSBC Elite Franchise Top 100, has full membership of the British Franchise Association, CLIA and ABTA, and was recognised by Business & Industry Today as Cruise & Holiday Specialist Company of the Year.

Who Suits the GoCruise Model

The franchise tends to attract people who love travel and have a natural appetite for relationship-led selling. That includes career changers leaving teaching, nursing or corporate roles, semi-retired professionals wanting a flexible second-act business, and experienced travel agents who want to keep more of their commission than a traditional employed role would allow. Strong organisation, good written and verbal communication, and a willingness to invest time in product knowledge matter more than prior travel experience.

The low entry cost of the home-based model makes it one of the more accessible ABTA-bonded travel businesses in the UK, while the shop model gives ambitious operators a route into a fully branded high street presence once their client base justifies the investment.

Interested in exploring more opportunities in this sector? Take a look at other travel and leisure franchise opportunities available on Franchise Hunt.