Norwegian Cruise Line has announced the appointment of Eamonn Ferrin as vice president and managing director for its UK, Ireland, Israel, South Africa and the Middle East markets.

He will report directly to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings president international, Harry Sommer.

Ferrin will oversee the sales, marketing, public relations and office operations for Norwegian Cruise Line, heading up the key regions of the UK and Ireland as well as the growing and developing markets of Israel, South Africa and the Middle East.

Reporting to Ferrin will be Nick Wilkinson, who will take on a newly created role as regional vice president of business development for Norwegian Cruise Line.

“Eamonn’s appointment comes at an exciting time in our company’s history as we continue to strengthen our global footprint,” said Sommer.

“The UK is our second largest source market globally, and Israel, South Africa and the Middle East are emerging markets that demonstrate enormous growth potential.

“Eamonn brings more than 20 years of senior-level experience in the travel and hospitality industry, and having him lead our operations in some of our most important international markets is a testament to our global growth strategy.”

Prior to joining Norwegian Cruise Line, Ferrin was the founder of Ferrin Consulting, providing consultancy services to travel brands in the airline, tour operator, cruise and hotel industries.

In his last consultancy assignment, he was the interim chief operating officer at Cruise.co.uk, the largest private equity-owned European cruise online travel agency.

Ferrin holds a masters of science degree in tourism, finance and marketing from the University of Surrey.