Pacific Magazine > Daily News

Silversea Presents New French Polynesia Cruises To Political Leaders

Friday: September 19, 2008

(Tahitipresse)

Silversea Cruises President and CEO Amerigo Perasso has presented the Prince Albert II's itinerary and passenger program for next year to French Polynesia President Gaston Tong Sang and a dozen mayors.

The 132-passenger expedition ship, the first in the luxury Silversea fleet, will offer a new kind of cruise in French Polynesia waters starting next March, targeting a wealthy potential passenger market, he said.

Tong Sang welcomed the planned program, which will offer three types of cruises out of Papeete between March 31 and Oct. 8. The cruises—10, 11 and 14 days—have a special starting price of $3,597, $3,897 and $4,917, all per person based on double occupancy.

Next year will serve as a testing for the planned six months of cruising in French Polynesia alternating with six months in the Antarctica, where the 60-cabin Prince Albert II will soon arrive.

However, the Tong Sang government announced on Tuesday that a five-year agreement had been signed with Silversea, with next year's experiences serving as a test for the preparation of subsequent agreements.

Meanwhile, Silversea Cruises announced during its annual Australian travel agent updates in Sydney yesterday that its new advertising campaign will be launched in the next issue of Luxury Travel magazine. The cruise company's new slogan will be "the aim is to make the journey as extraordinary as the destination," the Australian Internet travel Web site e-Travel Blackboard reported.

During the Sydney presentation, there was some encouraging news for Tahiti's struggling tourism industry. Steve Odell, Silversea Cruises' senior vice president for the Asia Pacific region said, "The statistic we are most pleased with at the moment is that 73 percent of guests are first time travelers with Silversea, proving we are growing new business.

"Much of this growth is by word of mouth; a marketing tool that agents should capitalize on. We are now in a position to help you," Olden told the Australian agents, according to the e-Travel Blackboard report.

The Web site also reported, "Prince Albert II already has its 2009/2010 Antarctic sailings on sale with Fiji, Tahiti and Easter Island cruises filling rapidly for 2009.

"Silversea also announced its first luxury expedition ship, Prince Albert II, which offers all inclusive fares, with complimentary wines and beverages and all gratuities included," the Web site reported.

"The Southern Hemisphere-based ship has already proved to be a hit, with the 2008/2009 inaugural Antarctic sailing almost sold out," according to e-Travel Blackboard.

"The ship embraces the expedition style where itineraries are unstructured by design, which allows the ship to stay longer on sites of particular interest, or make detours whenever weather, nature or mere curiosity dictates."

Silversea also announced the two of its ships—Silver Wind and Silver cloud—will undergo major refurbishment programs over the next six months, while a new ship—Silver Spirit—will be launched late next year, e-Travel Blackboard reported.

Among the Australian travel industry officials attending the annual Silversea presentation was Craig Lee, Air Tahiti Nui's director for Australia. Tahiti's international airline operates two weekly nonstop Sydney-Papeete flights.

The Silversea Cruises Web site lists four airfares out of the U.S. that are on top of the cruise fares. The airfares are $3,199 from the eastern U.S., $2,899 from the central U.S., $2,799 from the western U.S. and $3,199 from Honolulu.

For the Tong Sang government, the Prince Albert II cruises next year will visit islands and atolls that have either never welcomed cruise ships or never had regular cruise ship visits. That would include some of the scheduled stops in the five planned 11-day Austral Islands Adventures cruises, the four 14-day Journeys to the Marquesas Islands and the five 10-day Tuamotu Expeditions.

The most expensive cruise fares start with the Silver Suite and go up for the "Grand 1 Suite" and the "Owner's 1 Suite", according to the Silversea Web site. The Silver Suite special fares are $11,379 for the 10-Day Tuamotu cruise, $12,312 for the 11-day Austral Islands cruise and $15,498 for the 14-day Marquesas Islands cruise. The most expensive Owner's 1 Suite special fares are $13,044 for the 10-day cruise, $14,115 for the 11-day cruise and $17,766 for the 14-day cruise.

Naturalists, geologists, an ornithologist, a climatologist and an historian will be among the types of specialists who passengers will find aboard the Prince Albert II cruises in French Polynesia.

The some dozen mayors who attended the Silversea CEO's presentation were reported interested in the visits that the expedition ship will be making to their islands and atolls.

Perasso reassured the mayors that Silversea would tailor its visits to the specific characteristics of each stop, offering passengers the opportunity to meet the local people and discover their culture as well as their destination's enchanting natural beauty.

A Silversea team recently spent 40 days working on the excursions and activities that the Prince Albert II will offer passengers in French Polynesia. The international passengers, expected to be mostly Americans, seek to discover other cultures, the Tong Sang government emphasized. Thanks to the planned excursions, passengers will have direct contact with the populations and the mayors are hoping to see an increase in the consumption of local products.

One of Tong Sang's objectives has been to involve the mayors in the success of the Silversea cruise program, making them the link between the populations and the company.

During the Sydney presentation Thursday, Silversea Asia Pacific VP Odell recalled, "When I arrived here (in Australia) in 2003 the Asia Pacific region contributed three percent of Silversea business. In 2008 the region contributes 15 percent. With this strengthening contribution, it was time to open our own local office in the area and take responsibility and control the business. Now all reservations can be made through our Sydney office and all documentation is handled locally."

http://www.tahitipresse.pf/index.cfm?snav=see&presse=25363&lang=2