Silversea preps for “cruise bubble”

SILVERSEA Cruises is working behind the scenes to ensure Silver Explorer and Silver Muse (pictured) are able to return to local waters this year, in hopes the governments of Australia and New Zealand will include cruising in any proposed “travel bubble”.

Last night the cruise line conducted a global teleconference to update the industry on its current status and future plans, with the company’s outgoing Managing Director Australasia Adam Armstrong detailing his “quiet optimism” about the bubble.

“We have got two ships coming to Australia and New Zealand at the back end of this year; Silver Muse, our flagship and the expedition ship Silver Explorer.

“They’re ideally sized ships to get into all the ports of call around Australia and New Zealand, so if the bubble is expanded to include cruise - the Government is only currently considering air - we’ve got two ships ready and waiting, ready to go,” Armstrong said.

During the online session Silversea Chief Executive Officer Roberto Martinoli and the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Barbara Muckermann, detailed the success of recent promotions including Silversea’s first ever reduced deposit offering which had turned the “deluge of refunds” back into positive territory for new bookings.

However Armstrong also confirmed the impact that negative mainstream media coverage of cruising in Australia and New Zealand had on the company’s local business.

“When you look at our resurgence in the last few weeks at Silversea, we’re a bit behind the booking curve in some of the other markets in Europe and the USA,” he said.

Nevertheless things have improved and “we’re starting to get some green shoots, some early signs of bookings,” in particular demand from members of Silversea’s Venetian Society loyalty program whose new reservations - rather than using credits or deferrals from this year - are comprising about two thirds of the company’s local bookings.

Armstrong also noted the hard work being undertaken on new health and safety protocols, both within Silversea and across the wider industry.

“I think it’s very important for us in Australia and New Zealand that once we’ve agreed what [the new protocols] are at a brand level and at an industry level, to be very open and transparent about them, because it’s only when we reveal those that the public will have more faith in cruising.”