With three new yachts joining its award-winning fleet and a selection of new exotic itineraries and destinations, The Yachts of Seabourn is attracting all-time high numbers of new guests. And with new travel agent partners introducing their clients to Seabourn, the company has experienced record booking volume in the first month of 2010.
For January, numbers of bookings showed a 106 percent increase compared to 2009, and were up 215 percent compared to 2008. The number of first-time guests booking a Seabourn cruise in January surged 79 percent over the same period in 2009 and 155 percent over January in 2008, which was Seabourn’s best year to date.
According to Pamela C. Conover, Seabourn’s President and CEO, the strong booking volume indicates the growing demand for luxury cruising, particularly for Seabourn’s high-end travel experience. “Travel agents and consumers have responded very favorably to our new yachts, itineraries and value-added promotions,” Conover said. “As a result, we are attracting higher numbers of both first-time travelers and repeat guests who are eager to travel well and experience Seabourn-style cruising.”
The 450-guest Seabourn Odyssey, introduced in June 2009 and the first luxury vessel to be launched in six years, has been hailed as a “game-changer for the luxury segment.” Two sister ships are scheduled to debut in the next two years – Seabourn Sojourn in 2010 and Seabourn Quest in 2011. Together, the three new vessels represent a capacity increase of over 200 percent for the line in a three-year period – underlining the company’s confidence in an increasing demand for high-end cruising.
The addition of the three new ultra-luxury yachts has allowed the line to offer a wider range of new itineraries and exotic destinations, which have pleased its loyal repeat customers and attracted new ones as well. Further, beginning late last year, the line released several value-added promotions combining attractive savings and, in some cases, complimentary roundtrip air transportation.