Celebrity appeal draws second ship to Australia
The arrival of a second Celebrity ship in Australia in 18 months time is testament to the positive reception and sales performance of the brand in Australia and from the inbound market, according to the cruise line’s local chief.
Royal Caribbean regional vice president Gavin Smith, announcing the move yesterday, said the addition of Celebrity Century in 2014/15, and the return of Celebrity Solstice for its third season, further demonstrates the strength of the local industry.
Century and Solstice will operate 27 cruises, a 50% increase on the 2013/14 season, with Century offering 11 of those during its three-month deployment. It will arrive in Sydney on October 14 from San Francisco after undertaking Celebrity’s first single-voyage sailing from the US west coast with stops in Hawaii and Tahiti.
Smith said the addition of a second vessel follows strong support from travel agents and consumers for Celebrity, with the Solstice just completing a successful inaugural season in Australia.
He said initial fears that the company may struggle to differentiate the product in an increasingly cluttered market were not realised.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” Smith said. “Celebrity is not a brand that is on TV, it’s not a brand that’s on radio, it’s not flooding the market with visuals and yet it has achieved relevance with our distribution partners in the travel agency community.
“Agents understood it very quickly. The ship itself has done a better job (of marketing the brand) than I would have anticipated. Media, trade and guests understood it very well and very quickly and it is pleasing how it has become relevant to Australian cruisers.”
During its 16-voyage Australian season, Solstice carried 34,000 passengers, 40% Australians with the balance coming from overseas.
The split demonstrated the attraction of Celebrity in the European and North American markets with Smith urging the Australian Government to take note of the high number of international guests drawn to Australia because of a cruise ship.
Smith said yields on the Solstice were higher than any of the Royal ships – Rhapsody, Reliance and Voyager.
While Australians are the highest yielding passengers on Celebrity’s European voyages, he admitted “we were not convinced” it would translate to ex-Australia cruises.
“But it certainly did,” he told Travel Today.
Turning to the 2014/15 deployment of Century, which was last in Australia in 2011/12, Smith said having two ships will provide even greater variety.
“The growth of cruising is bringing the best ships in the world to Australia,” he said. “This concentration of product is creating choice and choice is a dynamic like no other.”
Century, built in 1995, with a classic feel and capacity for 1,814 and the younger Solstice with capacity for 2,850, are sufficiently different to appeal to different guests, Smith added.
Century will operate a selection of South Pacific cruises, two eight night South Australia voyages, with a first Celebrity visit to Port Lincoln, and a seven night Tasmania cruise which includes an inaugural stop in Burnie.
Cairns will also feature for the first time on the 14-night Australia to Asia cruise on January 11, 2015.
Solstice meanwhile will operate a series of South Pacific, round Australia and New Zealand itineraries.
The product will go on sale later this month.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
celebrity celebrity cruises century cruise cruising gavin smith solsticeLatest News
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