“The market is booming in the States,” said Herve Bellaiche, executive vice president of sales for Ponant.

The French luxury expedition brand is now sourcing some 40 percent of its passengers in the United States. The efforts are led by Navin Sawhney, CEO of the Americas, based out of New York.

“Our passion delivers the destination experience,” said Sawhney. “The customer is not simply looking for bucket list experiences. They don’t just want to sightsee or ‘sight do.’ They literally want to become the destination and go through that transformation. The best way to do that is in a ship that is small and places the destination higher and above all other things.”

And that is what is Ponant is delivering as it expands the fleet with six new Explorer-class ships at 184 guests each, joining four slightly larger Boreal-class ships as well as Le Ponant, a sailing vessel, and a 270-guest LNG-fueled icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, set to debut in 2021.

Edie Rodriguez joined the brand in late 2017 as Americas Brand Chairman and Corporate Special Advisor.

“Edie has brought more brand awareness,” Bellaiche told Cruise Industry News.

Rodriguez said all the ingredients were in place for Ponant’s success, from robust ownership to small luxury vessels.

“We are a French brand experience, make no mistake about it,” Rodriguez said, at a press conference. “We have evolved. You don’t get to 40 percent of the guests (from the United States) without the ability to deliver an international brand experience.

 “The reality is if you are an English-speaking guest that is not bilingual you can feel very comfortable on Ponant … We are a French brand but we offer an international standard of luxury.”

Rodriguez pointed to the company’s new Quintessential Collection as helping to drive the American business. Those cruises are built around a theme, attracting like-minded travelers.

Examples include everything from ancient Mediterranean civilizations to a Sicilian food and wine cruise.

The North America business is also closely linked with charter partners Tauck and Abercrombie & Kent, both of which have a healthy appetite for full-ship charters on well-appointed small ships.