Busniss Development Manager

We are looking for a Business Development Manager to expand and strengthen the cruise line’s presence and sales, primarily within the US travel agency community. This role focuses on building strategic relationships, driving revenue growth, and increasing brand visibility across retail, consortia, and host agency networks. The ideal candidate has deep industry knowledge, established agency contacts, and a proven track record of sales success within the cruise or broader travel sector.

Discover The World is an innovative sales representation company who are passionate about sales, our people and travel. We take great brands into travel trade global communities through exciting local and regional strategies. Our work has a direct positive impact on the lives of our clients, trade partners and thousands of customers every day. We cultivate a culture of diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can flourish.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with US travel agencies, consortia, host agencies, and key industry partners.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for agency partners, ensuring exceptional communication and support.
• Conduct regular in-person and virtual sales visits, training, product updates, and educational sessions.
• Create and execute strategic sales plans to drive revenue growth and maximize market share.
• Identify new business opportunities within the agency channel and convert them into long-term partnerships.
• Track sales performance, analyze market trends, and implement corrective actions as needed.
• Represent the cruise line at trade shows, conferences, roadshows, and consumer events.
• Deliver product presentations, webinars, and training modules to increase brand knowledge and sales adoption.
• Collaborate with marketing to develop sales tools, promotional campaigns, and agency-focused incentives.
• Monitor agency sales performance and provide regular reporting to leadership.
• Manage sales budgets, promotional funds, and co-op marketing dollars efficiently.
• Ensure revenue targets and KPIs are consistently met or exceeded.
• Work closely with Marketing, Reservations, Operations, and Revenue Management teams to align strategies and ensure exceptional customer experience.
• Provide feedback from the agency community to help shape product development and commercial decision-making.

Requirements

• 2+ years of proven success in the cruise or travel industry sales
• Strong existing relationships within the US travel agency community (host, consortia, and retail).
• Demonstrated success in achieving or surpassing sales targets.
• Excellent presentation, negotiation, communication, and consultative sales skills.
• Willingness to travel extensively within the US
• Experience with new-to-market or rapidly growing travel brands.
• Familiarity with CRM systems (Salesforce), sales analytics tools, and agency booking platforms.
• Self-starter who thrives in a dynamic, partner-facing role
• Strong relationship-building and influencing skills
• Strategic thinker with a solution-oriented mindset
• Professional, polished, and trustworthy brand ambassador

Benefits

This role is also eligible for comprehensive benefits: health care, paid days off, and retirement benefits + Incentive Plan.
Discover the World is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against employees or applicants on the basis of an individual’s race (including hair texture or style), gender, sex (including pregnancy), color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, citizen status, age, disability, marital status, gender identity, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.
Discover the World participates in e-verify. E-verify provides the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.