Luxury cruise line Silversea has reported strong sales of its voyages aboard new expedition ship Silver Discoverer despite the tight lead-in time, with the vessel’s April launch only announced in September.
Silversea’s third expedition ship, currently being refitted in Singapore, will be based in Asia Pacific. It will arrive in Broome to undertake its first passenger voyage on April 2.
“It’s great to have an inaugural out of Australia,” general manager sales and marketing Karen Christensen told Travel Today describing it as a vote of confidence in the Australian market.
However, she admitted that it had been challenging to sell the new product in such a short space of time, especially in a market where competition is heating up.
“But Silversea as a brand has been here and recognised for some time now so that’s been the easy side of it,” she said. “We’re really thrilled with the way it’s been going.”
Sales of the first half a dozen voyages so far look “fantastic” with the rest of the season looking “good”, according to Christensen.
“When you launch a ship, you really want those first 10 to 12 voyages to go almost full. There are certain expectations so it’s very encouraging.”
Silver Discoverer will sail to Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, Russian Far East, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Christensen revealed that the client base for the higher yield expedition itineraries remains relatively distinct from that for its Classic product, despite an initial expectation that it would shift across.
Those in search of soft adventure and exotic destinations, yet with a dose of onboard luxury, are drawn by the expedition product, making it a particularly good fit for the Australian market.
However, despite the rapid expansion of its expedition, Christensen stressed that the Classic program continues to be a focus for the cruise line.
“You’ll see another Classic ship announced in the not too distant future,” she hinted. “We’re not finished yet with the Classic fleet.”
