Emerald Cruises Makes A Splash
From the launch of the 100-passenger superyacht Emerald Azzurra — sailing on March 11th in the Red Sea before heading to the Mediterranean and Adriatic for the summer season — to the likes of Frankie Flowers and celebrity chef Michael Bonacini coming onboard, “2022 is going to be a big year” for Emerald Cruises.
Despite announcing the build of Emerald Azzurra in February 2020 on the cusp of worldwide travel restrictions setting in, Juna Ueda, General Manager, Sales, for Emerald Cruises Canada says bookings grew at impressive levels throughout the pandemic.
“Leading up to our inaugural sailing, we’re happy to report most of the 2022 season is sold out,” Ueda tells Travel Courier. “On the rivers, we’ve also got a new ship launching — Emerald Luna. She will sail the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers, which are some of our most popular itineraries in Europe. We’re especially excited about our two Canadian celebrities onboard the rivers this year: Frankie Flowers, Canada’s favourite weatherman and gardening expert, will be hosting a Rhine River sailing in July that includes a visit to the once-a-decade Floriade Horticultural Expo in Amsterdam. Also in July, on the beautiful Douro River in Portugal, celebrity chef Michael Bonacini of Masterchef Canada television fame will join us for a special culinary themed cruise.”
With Canada’s travel restrictions easing, Ueda says Emerald Cruises are “very bullish” on the sales recovery, especially for last minute cruises across 2022.
“We are seeing this sales pattern occur in the UK and USA market, resulting in record booking pace,” he says. “We all have sacrificed and put our lives on hold for two years. We expect the pent-up demand to be realized as consumer confidence continues to improve.”
For the full story, check out the latest issue of TRAVEL COURIER.
