Scenic Aura confirmed for Irrawaddy

Scenic Aura confirmed for Irrawaddy

Demand for river cruising in Asia has led newly-branded Scenic to add a third ship to its fleet, earmarked for sailings in the Irrawaddy River by late 2016, chairman Glen Moroney confirmed.

Speaking to Travel Weekly aboard Scenic Jasper at its christening this week and accompanied by Australian author Kathy Lette in Vienna, Moroney said sales for Asian voyages have been “so strong” for its voyages on the Mekong and were “far stronger than we’d imagine,” leading the operator to confirm a third ship to be deployed to handle growth to Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River.

“More capacity has been committed to the region,” Moroney said.

Scenic had previously announced two new luxury ships for Asia, the next-generation Scenic Spirit and a second yet to be named ship with both to sail on the Mekong in January and September 2016 respectively.

Moroney said Scenic Aura will have capacity for just 44 passengers and likened it to a “shortened version of Scenic Spirit”.

“It’s relatively untouched compared to many other destinations”, Moroney told Travel Weekly.

Scenic currently has 16 ships in its fleet, including its sister-brand Emerald’s range, and by 2016 will increase to 22, but by 2019 its fleet will expand to 27.

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