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Clia Conference 2018: Seabourn partnerships with luxury figures help ‘unlock land lovers’

Seabourn has focused its efforts on building partnerships with well-known brands in a bid to “unlock” the “luxury land lover”.

Chris Austin, Seabourn’s senior vice-president for global sales and marketing, said: “We put a lot of focus on differentiating the brand through partnerships.

“It is a great way to unlock that luxury land lover.”

According to 2016 research, in terms of worldwide vacation capacity, around 98% is taken up by hotel rooms, while cabins on a cruise ships occupy 2%.

Speaking at the Clia Conference in Southampton, Austin said hiring New York designer Adam Tihany to design the line’s ships was “a very conscious decision”.

All-suite ship Seabourn Ovation, which launched last month, has several offerings created through partnerships which are noticeable to passengers onboard.

Austin also added that while destination is still “a driver” in the luxury cruise market, Seabourn has made a deliberate attempt to make its ships “a destination at sea”.

During a question and answer session Travel Weekly’s editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley asked Austin if he was worried about overcapacity in the luxury sector.

Austin said that rather being concerned, there was “a huge opportunity” for the luxury segment to try and appeal to the 98% of land-based holidaymakers.

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