Silversea Cruises is riding a wave of exceptional growth and major milestones, most recently celebrating the official blessing ceremony of its new expedition vessel, Silver Endeavour, in Puerto Williams earlier this month, its third ship to be named in just 10 months. In this week’s Take 5, we sit down with Katina Athanasiou, Senior Vice President of Sales, The Americas, to talk about what’s selling well for 2023, how the Canadian market is absolutely booming, and why the Silver Endeavour will make a lasting impression among guests.
- It’s been reported that the luxury market has rebounded faster than other markets, post-pandemic. Would you say this is true?
“Silversea Cruises has certainly bounced back quickly. All of our ships re-entered service as of June and we have had a great year. The company has launched four new ships since 2020. By 2024, we will have increased our capacity by 56 percent when compared to 2020.
“Our growth in Canada is particularly promising. As of September, we already had more Canadians booked on a 2023 voyage than the total number of Canadians sailing in 2022. We have set a target to double the number of Canadians sailing with us in 2023 versus 2022. We are thrilled to continue to collaborate with travel advisors in Canada and we see endless opportunities for them to grow their business with Silversea.”
- Which cruises are selling particularly well for 2023? And is there still space available?
“Canadian guests are expressing interest in Silversea’s Alaska, Caribbean, and expedition voyages. Our most popular expedition voyages often journey to bucket-list destinations, with the Arctic, Antarctica, and Asia, among the most sought after expedition regions.
“To meet guest demand, we are offering our most comprehensive Artic season to date with 23 voyages on offer for summer 2023. Silversea will have four ships sailing the Arctic and Greenland next year including our newest and most luxurious expedition ship, Silver Endeavour.
Silver Endeavour
“Silversea is returning to Asia for the first time in more than two years in December 2022. Silver Spirit, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper, and Silver Muse will be exploring the Far East with 34 distinct voyages on offer for guests. “Highlights of Silversea’s season will include calls in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, among others, combining opportunities for guests to experience both iconic cities and lesser-visited destinations.
“The good news is that we still have availability across all of the regions where we are seeing interest from Canadian guests.”
- Can you tell us more about who the right guest is for Silversea Cruises? Where can travel agents find Silversea guests?
“We target high net-worth Baby Boomers, who are typically aged 55 or older and people looking for experiential travel with their loved one, a group of friends and family or even traveling solo. Silversea journeys to more than 900 destinations worldwide, so we are a great fit for someone who is looking for that once-in-a-lifetime trip and enjoys an all-inclusive luxury experience.
“Travel advisors looking to grow their business with Silversea should start with the clients in their network, in particular those who have booked stays at luxury boutique hotels in the past. We still have availability for 2023 voyages and we have sailings open through spring 2025, allowing your clients to plan ahead.
“We always recommend that travel advisors present themselves as a luxury expert. You can expand your network by participating in Chamber of Commerce meetings and other networking opportunities in your local community. And of course, our wonderful sales team is eager to support all of our Canadian travel advisors efforts, so please reach out to your Area Sales Director or call our Inside Sales Team at 1-800-722-9955.”
- Silversea has just launched its newest ship Silver Endeavour, what should travel agents know about this new ship?
“Silver Endeavour is the most luxurious expedition ship ever built, with the highest space-to-guest ratio in expedition cruising and a crew-to-guest ratio of approximately 1:1. She maintains Silversea’s trademark level of comfort, with butler service for every suite, some of the most spacious accommodations in expedition cruising, and gourmet dining options.
“Silver Endeavour is outfitted with state-of-the-art amenities, with an industry-leading Zodiac-to-guest ratio; kayaks; and cutting-edge navigation and exploration technology, including a remote gimbal camera system, which can capture high-quality images from 5km, among other expedition essentials.
“Silver Endeavour’s PC6 ice classification will help us journey even deeper into the Polar Regions. Silver Endeavour will sail pole to pole, journeying to remote destinations across the Arctic, Antarctica, and Northern Europe.”
- What are you most looking forward to in 2023? What should travel agents keep on their radars?
“It is a very exciting time for Silversea Cruises, we are expanding and we are journeying to more destinations than ever before.
“In 2023, we will launch our next generation of ships with Silver Nova. Not only will Silver Nova be incredibly luxurious, her groundbreaking technology enables her to be our most environmentally friendly ship to date. Silver Nova will be the industry’s first multi-hybrid cruise ship and the first one to use fuel cells to power the entire the ship while in port. Her sister-ship Silver Ray will follow in 2024, with both ships accommodating 728 guests.
“We have inventory open into 2025, which means there is a lot of opportunity for travel advisors to work with Silversea. We are eager to work with more Canadian travel advisors and to help our existing partners expand their business even further.”
