Cruise agent says Bonvoyage to .co in pioneering .uk move

A UK cruise agency has become one of the first businesses to move to the new .uk domain after it become available this week.

A UK cruise agency has become one of the first businesses to move to the new .uk domain after it become available this week.

Bonvoyage.uk said it has taken the decision to drop the .co from its url to further its online identity.

The site was established by the founder of general OTA Sunshine.co.uk in 2011 and its technology allows cruise customers to book a specific cabin.

Steph Curtin, cruise development manager at Bonvoyage, said: “For a company like ours, which is reliant on building a growing online community of individuals and families looking for great cruise deals, this is a really exciting change.

“Not only will the new .uk name help our company get straight to the point of focusing attention on our website name and what we do, but we are also hoping to encourage others, in the travel industry and beyond, to make the leap to a .uk domain themselves.”

Over ten million existing users of .co.uk or .org.uk domains have the option of using the shorter equivalent of their current address.

There is a five-year free reservation period, giving companies the opportunity to wait for a more convenient time to take up their new domain names in the future.

Eleanor Bradley, from Nominet, which is overseeing Bonvoyage’s launch of the new .uk domain, said: “Consumers and brands alike are showing their trust in .uk domains, with our registration rates climbing to ten times the typical daily rate. We’re thrilled with the response, which shows the excitement people feel about the shorter, sharper domain within the trusted .uk namespace.”