Australia’s leading luxury travel agency, Travel Associates, has marked the launch of the luxury cruise season with the transformation of Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal.
The brand’s signature purple gem dazzled Sydneysiders as it took the spotlight along Circular Quay this week.
The luxury travel brand, a division of the Flight Centre Travel Group, unveiled a larger-than-life experiential version of their stylised destination pin on the Overseas Passenger Terminal.
The seven meter high, Perspex gemstone and mirror clad case, designed to reflect every hue of the brand’s purple palette complete with a chic mezzanine level at its centre, serving as a nod to luxury cruise design, with details curated by one of Australia’s most creative interior minds, Claudia Lambert.
It not only served as a stunning sight along the Harbour at one of the world’s most iconic cruise ports, but also doubled as a representation of the brand’s ‘one-of-a-kind’ positioning by recreating a series of one-of-a-kind luxury moments, inside the gem itself.
Terminal to launch luxury cruise season.
Across a two-day period, an array of activations for VIP clients, tastemakers, content creators and media will come to life to emulate Travel Associates’ bespoke itinerary expertise.
Each activation was carefully curated in partnership with ten of the world’s leading luxury travel cruise lines such as PONANT, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Scenic Eclipse, Hurtigruten Expeditions, Explora Journeys, Viking, Disney Cruise Line, Tauck, and Crystal Cruises.
Highlights include:
- A PONANT and Paspaley Pearl Showcase hosted by Vogue Australia’s Edwina McCann
- An immersive pop-up of the renowned Silversea Otium Spa
- A champagne masterclass hosted by John Noble with drops from Regent Seven Seas Cruises
- A whiskey and chocolate pairing by Scenic Eclipse hosted by GQ Australia
The installation is the first collaboration between Travel Associates and IVY PR and revolves around unveiling a new perspective on the luxury travel market, and redefining the customer for luxury cruising.
Travel Associates Australia and New Zealand General Manager Rachel Kingswell said the brand’s activation came following a remarkable resurgence in luxury cruising across the globe.
Kingswell added: ““Last year we saw luxury cruising come back in a big way but this year we’ve seen an even stronger uptake in bookings as travellers are keen to invest more in experiences over things.
“Travel Associates was proud to take over one of the most iconic cruise ports in the world, Sydney, alongside our incredible partners, to officially launch the 2025 luxury cruise season.
“It was incredible to be joined by Australia’s leading travel media and some familiar and famous cruise-loving faces who helped us mark this special occasion under our beautiful Travel Associates gem.”
Head of brand and marketing for Travel Associates Australia and New Zealand, Maddison Done, said: “We’ve identified a new luxury traveller emerging in our market, and the way to connect with them requires a less traditional approach that blurs the lines across luxury categories, considering fashion, beauty, travel, art, food and interiors.
“We know that the new luxury traveller requires an experiential edge that crosses these verticals to cut through the travel clutter, which is why this particular installation leans on almost all of them, to really celebrate the unique USPs of luxury cruising and put our oneof-a-kind experiences on show.
“Our data shows the luxury cruise market in particular is growing at an astounding rate as this new market discovers for the first time just how enjoyable a 5-star, all-inclusive hotel experience at sea can be. It only felt right to bring this to life in a disruptive and striking marker true to our brand, surrounded by so many of our industry partners and friends from the broader luxury category.”
