ATHENS-BASED Celestyal Cruises is poised to benefit from a surge in pent-up demand for the Eastern Mediterranean, with Australia & NZ key to the mix. While antipodeans currently comprise about 4% of Celestyal passengers, the strong potential for the local market was underlined last week with a visit by Chief...
ATHENS-BASED Celestyal Cruises is poised to benefit from a surge in pent-up demand for the Eastern Mediterranean, with Australia & NZ key to the mix.
While antipodeans currently comprise about 4% of Celestyal passengers, the strong potential for the local market was underlined last week with a visit by Chief Commercial Officer, Leslie Peden, who also took part in the Cruiseco conference.
Last year Celestyal appointed former Globus Family of Brands MD, Stewart Williams, (pictured left with Peden) to head up its local operations, as part of a global expansion plan which also saw the establishment of offices covering the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland.
In 2018 Celestyal restructured its operations, with expanded distribution, re-engineered inventory and revenue management seeing overall guest numbers up 8% to 108,000.
Celestyal currently operates two vessels – the Celestyal Crystal and the Celestyal Olympia – on Mediterranean itineraries, focusing on the Greek Islands, but is clearly gearing up to support increased capacity.
Williams highlighted Celestyal’s “all-inclusive cruising” concept which resonates well with the Australasian market, featuring onboard entertainment, selected shore excursions, gratuities, meals and unlimited drinks.
2020 itineraries expected to be popular down under include the “Three Continents in 8 Days” voyage taking in Greece, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus and Turkey, and the “Eclectic Aegean” which features a call at Cannakale, Turkey allowing guests to visit Gallipoli.
